Ryall’s waiting list claims refuted

Health Minister Tony Ryall’s assertion that only a handful of Kiwis are waiting longer than necessary for surgery has been blown out of the water with one health professional describing the practise of dropping people from waiting lists as a clear manipulation of process, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says.

“On the one hand Mr Ryall claims that as of June there were just 20 patients who had been forced to wait longer than six months for an assessment or for surgery. On the other he says no figures are collected.

“He is wrong.

“The number of operations that should be done but aren’t has risen to almost unmanageable levels while more and more Kiwis are having referrals to specialists declined.

“Surgeons know it, DHBs know it and the patients missing out know it. The only person who doesn’t seem to know it is Mr Ryall.

“And that’s because he doesn’t want to. The figures are embarrassing for a Minister who promised to shorten waiting times but at the expense of thousands not getting surgery.

“Several high profile surgeons have called his skite sheet of achievements ‘smoke and mirrors, ‘misleading’ and double speak’.

“Patients are paying the price of the Government’s cost cutting demands. It is heart-breaking reading some of the letters I receive from people who have been told they can’t see a specialist or have an operation they need.

“There are thousands being bumped off lists to meet Mr Ryall’s target of five months, which reduces to four months next year.

“When we have professionals such as Gary Hooper, Phil Bagshaw and Bruce Hodgson along with  Hawke’s Bay DHB CEO Kevin Snee expressing their concerns about funding and resources, then even Tony ‘Spinmeister’ Ryall would be hard-pressed to sell that as ‘good news’.”

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