Abano Healthcare subsidiary Aotea Pathology has submitted a proposal to the three Wellington region district health boards (DHBs) to run both the community services and the hospital-based laboratory services.
Wellington Hospital. Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Abano owns 55 percent of Aotea and the Australia-based Sonic Healthplus owns the rest. The two firms have provided community pathology services in the region for more than 80 years.
Their current contract is worth $24 million a year and they employ about 180 people.
Abano managing director Alan Clarke, who also sits on Aotea's board, said his firm's existing contract was extended until October next year and he was hoping the future of these services would be decided by the end of this year.
"We have responded to a request for a proposal that was issued by the DHBs involved in the community and public pathology service and we've just filed that document," Mr Clarke said.
"This is a request from the DHBs for the pathology services in the region and it was initiated by them, certainly not by us."
