Newly released details of proposed bed numbers in the new Dunedin Hospital suggest it could have 91 more beds than the current facility.

The numbers, released by Health Minister Andrew Little in response to written questions by National Dunedin list MP Michael Woodhouse, showed the proposed hospital would have 474 beds, compared with the 383 available at the hospital now.

However, the final numbers will depend on Cabinet approval of the detailed business case for the hospital — something which had yet to be granted, despite the original intention for that plan to be considered more than a year ago.

Mr Woodhouse said he believed the eventual number of beds might not represent a major increase on what the present building had when it opened.

"There is a bit of smoke and mirrors going on here regarding the degree to which the hospital is actually being increased in the new build, and I think there are serious questions to be asked and an honest comparison over time over the categories of beds in the past 40 years since the Great King St building opened ... and how does that compare to what we will be getting in the future?"

Actual bed numbers over time are difficult to compare as hospitals have swung between counting spaces where beds could be put and beds which have staff available and are assigned for patient use.

In 2007, a Ministry of Health audit said Dunedin Hospital had 455 beds, but that included all bed spaces available, even if there was not a physical bed there.

The website for the new Dunedin Hospital project said there were 350 beds in the current hospital, "depending on how you count them".

"The portrayal [by hospital planners] in my view, was for a much more material increase in beds than we are seeing," Mr Woodhouse said.

"And with the exception of the intensive care unit and ED there doesn’t seem to be any material increase and the case of the paediatric ward it is going to be smaller," he said.

The cost for the hospital may also prove to be an issue: the Government has conceded it will cost more than the initial budget of $1.4billion, although it has not said what it thinks the final figure might be.

Mr Woodhouse said it was time for "some honest conversations" about the new hospital project.

"It is concerning that if we are going to spend what could be up to $2billion on a shiny new hospital, that we should be confident that it is going to meet the needs of the community for at least 75-100 years."

In December, Mr Little told the Otago Daily Times the Government was committed to the hospital project.

"The building will meet the needs of the population it needs to serve, but we don’t know the final price of it yet."

Key facts

• At around 89,000 sqm, the new hospital will provide approximately 411 beds, including 30 ICU beds, and 20 theatres with shell space for additional theatres.
• The new facilities will be designed for flexibility and future expansion. The project will aim to achieve a five Green Star sustainability rating.
• Outpatients (at almost 15,000 sqm) is due to be complete by early 2025, with Inpatients (at around 73,500 sqm) due to be finished in the first quarter of 2028. There will be a link bridge joining the buildings.
• Implementation Business Cases for each building - Outpatients in mid-2021 and Inpatients by the end of 2021 - will be considered by joint Ministers of Health and Finance, prior to confirming the main contractor for each building.