Southern Cross to acquire Auckland Surgical Centre

Media Release
Issued 17 February 2004-05 / 094

Southern Cross cleared to acquire Auckland Surgical Centre

The Commerce Commission has cleared Southern Cross Health Trust or its interconnected body corporate (the Trust) to acquire the assets of Auckland Surgical Centre Limited (ASC).

Commission Chair Paula Rebstock said that the Commission was satisfied that the proposed acquisition would not have, or would not be likely to have, the effect of substantially lessening competition in the markets for private:
- short-stay hospital facilities and related non-specialist services for elective secondary surgery in the Auckland region; and
- in-patient hospital facilities and related non-specialist services for elective secondary surgery in the Auckland region.

ASC is primarily a day-stay facility at which orthopaedic, plastic, gynaecological, ENT, oral, paediatric, breast, urology and general surgery is performed, with a particular focus on orthopaedic surgery.

In the Auckland region, the Trust owns two hospitals: Southern Cross Brightside Hospital and Southern Cross North Harbour Hospital, and is a 50 percent shareholder in Gillies Hospital. All of the Trust’s facilities provide secondary elective surgery on both a day-stay and in-patient basis.

A public version of the written decision will shortly be available on the Commission’s website, www.comcom.govt.nz.

ENDS

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