Services
The Southern Charity Hospital currently offers the following services:
- Colonoscopy
More information for health professionals
More information for patients
Information for Patients
The Southern Charity Hospital was established by a trust in 2019 to provide FREE elective day surgery for those in our Otago and Southland community who can’t access these services because they:
- Don’t qualify for the public health waiting list
- Don’t have medical insurance and
- Don’t have any other means of covering the cost of their treatment.
Our day surgery services include:
- Colonoscopy
Why are our services free?
Thanks to our wonderful team of unpaid volunteer surgeons, nurses, clinicians and other support staff, we can offer these free services to the people of Otago and Southland.
We rely on funding from a range of trusts and organisations, along with fundraising and donations from the public. We receive no government funding.
How do you access these services?
- You will need a referral from your GP/family doctor/nurse practitioner.
- You will also need to provide some background information on your financial situation and complete a patient declaration form.
Information for Health Professionals
Referral forms
General Referral Form
Patient Declaration Form
Note: The Southern Charity Hospital is unable to offer a diagnostic service for the investigation of abdominal pain and diarrhoea.
Patient criteria
Any patient you refer must meet our criteria and the patient referral declaration form is your guide to determining eligibility. The patient must meet both clinical and financial requirements of the Trust. If your patient fits our criteria then we would be pleased to offer them FREE treatment at our facility.
Documents required for referral are:
- Referral and declaration form (available below)
- A written detailed referral letter including full medical history. Both essential
- Decline letter from DHB
Our services operate on the basis of goodwill and the flexibility of volunteer staff. It is expected that referrers work with the trust to provide the best outcomes for our patients. Southern Charity Hospital is a day care charitable facility; we do not have overnight care facilities on site.
The services we provide fluctuate from time to time dependant on the numbers of volunteer staff available at that time. We are closed over the Christmas holiday period, weekends and public holidays.
Referral Forms