District Health Boards in the lower North Island say they will save more than $10 million a year from an upcoming major laboratory restructure.
The Wellington, Hutt Valley and Wairarapa DHBs today confirmed that Southern Community Laboratories, or SCL, will provide the service.
Under the DHBs' hotly debated plan, hospital and community medical testing will be merged and provided by SCL, much of it from a multi-million dollar laboratory hub at Wellington Hospital, from November.
SCL announced separately today that once the deal has been confirmed by the Government next week it will buy the shares of the current provider of community medical testing in Wellington and Hutt Valley, Aotea Pathology.
It is understood this is to ensure continuity by Aotea's 220 staff during the transition.
