Waiting List May Be Shorter, But Will You Qualify For It?
new-zealand-first-party
Thu Oct 31 2013 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Waiting List May Be Shorter, But Will You Qualify For It?
Thursday, 31 October 2013, 2:38 pm
Press Release: New Zealand First Party
Barbara Stewart MP
Spokesperson for Health
31 October 2013
Waiting List May Be Shorter, But Will You Qualify For It?
New Zealand First says the Government initiative to shorten waiting lists from six months to four months has simply pushed people in pain below the radar for joint replacement surgery.
Health spokesperson Barbara Stewart says the need for these services will just keep growing with our aging population, and she is urging the Government to review the regulation around these operations.
“People with severe symptoms shouldn’t be sent back to their GP if they have already exhausted other treatment options.
“Public hospital services are just being asked to do more with fewer resources.
“Earlier this year, the waiting list in Otago consisted of almost 400 patients. Yet in 2010, the DHB reduced the target number of joint replacement surgeries from the previous year’s target of 475, to 425 in spite of a growing waiting list.
“It would be impossible for the DHB to catch up on their patient backlog, without even mentioning the people who aren’t on the list because they haven’t yet suffered for long enough.
“It feels like another example of the Government trying to falsify statistics to look good for the upcoming election year,” says Mrs Stewart.
ENDS
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