Blair and Melissa Vining in 2019. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Melissa Vining is hard at work building the Southland Charity Hospital brick by brick - almost literally.
Vining is running a "buy a brick" campaign, where people can purchase a brick for the hospital for $100 and have a personal message written on it.
The fundraiser was close to its 10,000 brick goal, with 9861 bought so far.
"It's just going to be so lovely to see those 10,000 bricks with all the beautiful messages from around the country," Vining told The Country's Jamie Mackay.
The hospital project was the vision of Melissa's husband, cancer-care campaigner Blair Vining, who died of bowel cancer in October 2019.
"He has left us a really great project to get on with so we can help the people of Southland and Otago," Vining said.
After his diagnosis, Blair's treatment was too slow, and Melissa said he didn't want other families to experience what they'd been through.
Bowel cancer was one of the most curable cancers if diagnosed early, but many Southern people were declined a colonoscopy and unable to get that diagnosis, Melissa said.
"Blair just couldn't bear the thought that these people could be saved if they could access a colonoscopy."
As a result, the first service on the hospital's list will be colonoscopy, along with dental care.
Although it will be called the Southland Charity Hospital, the name was based purely on the location, as it would help anybody from the Southern DHB region, Vining said.
"We made the decision very early on that we wanted to help the whole Southern region. So people from Otago and Southland, Waitaki to the Bluff, everybody is included."
Although charity hospitals were a great initiative, it was unacceptable that they had to be built, Vining said.
"I think it's absolutely disgraceful that in a country like New Zealand, that there is a need for these charity hospitals and services.
"I think all the politicians should feel really ashamed of themselves. This is not fancy healthcare or cutting edge - these are basic healthcare requirements that people are feeling the need to set up and supply."
People were being declined for colonoscopies, including Southland rugby player Paul Cosgrove, who recently lost his battle with bowel cancer, Vining said.
"He had been to his GP trying to seek help and his GP tried really hard to get him a colonoscopy, but the SDHB declined ... and then sadly he was diagnosed with stage 4 incurable bowel cancer.
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"He fought like a tiger and he passed away recently which is incredibly sad for his family and friends and his community."
The Southern DHB had the highest rate of bowel cancer in New Zealand, and New Zealand had the highest rate of bowel cancer in world, Vining said.
Politicians had carried out four external reviews, and Dr Phil Bagshaw called for an inquiry into the service, but so far it had all "fallen on deaf ears," Vining said.
"There's no action. Whilst I think that the politicians should be doing their job ... we can't stand by and let good Southland and Otago people die. We need to do something."
Meanwhile, Vining continued to raise funds for the Southland Charity Hospital with the supporters' brick project and an upcoming "Red, White and Black Casual Friday" next month.
The "incredible" support from the local community had made it all possible, Vining said.
"Different parts of the community are really carrying the load and doing these big fundraising events.
"The team is big. I feel like the team is all of Southland and Otago so we're very lucky."
Support the Southern Charity Hospital by bidding on the auction to win a Luxury Rail Trail and Affco meat Prize Pack here.
Find out more about buying a supporter's brick here.
Find out more about supporting Buy a Brick Casual Friday (Red, White and Black) here.