Health data released today shows the Government is failing to ensure New Zealanders can get hospital treatment when they need it.
“National’s chaotic job cuts and underfunding have taken waitlists backwards and New Zealanders’ health will suffer for it,” Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said.
In Q1 2023/2024, 67 percent of patients saw a specialist for a first appointment in less than four months. This latest data from October through to the end of December last year showed only 60 percent got an appointment within four months – a drop of 7 percent.
“You’ll also be waiting longer for elective surgeries – so if you need a hip replaced, or a gynaecological procedure, be prepared.”
In mid 2023, 62.1% of patients got their surgery within four months. At the end of 2024, that number was down to 59.2%.
Reducing elective surgery waitlists and waiting times for first specialist appointments are targets the Government set itself.
“Hospitals will continue to struggle to meet demand unless we get the basics right; like being able to see a doctor in the community,” Ayesha Verrall said.
“But even that statistic is going backwards – the number of people enrolled with a GP is down 2 per cent for the same period in the previous year to 94.7%.
“The family doctor or GP is often the first port of call when you are sick or need other kinds of health care. But 5 per cent of New Zealanders aren’t registered with one, and even if they are, it’s hard to get an appointment.
“That puts pressure on our emergency departments and after hours services, and ultimately our entire hospital system.
“By underfunding GPs the National Government is just kicking the can down the road for many New Zealanders who will get sicker or need more urgent care without being able to see a doctor in the community,” Ayesha Verrall said.
My experience is probably typical and indicative.
About 3 months from my GP’s letter to me getting a letter from health board to say I’d hopefully get an appt. within 4 months. So that 6-7 months already.
Then the 4 month appt date trotted along for 13 months to Feb. this year.
About 15-16 months altogether.
When I finally got to see the specialist, I was warned it was a very painful recovery and they liked people to wait as long as possible before they had that op. I was given a card with a phone number to call if things became unbearable presumably to save me going through another 16 month wait. However, I would guess it would still be 6 months at least.
I can do a lot to help myself, so I’ll hang on till we have a better govt. in place that wants to invest in peoples’ health. I feel very sorry for those in bad pain right now.
Yes Verrall is correct I got two procedures done under her government I waited three months to have the procedures one public the other private. However I have a hole in my eardrum despite my GP referring me three times all referrals have been turned down. In the meantime my hearing is deteriorating making it hard for me to do my job. I have vertigo and now get tinnitus in both ears. I have to sleep with a hot water bottle, I have regular sore necks and throat problems. My right ear with the hole gets sore at night and feels full, sometimes it is sore to touch. I wrote to Minister Reti and got a generic reply saying, thank you for your letter and that was months ago. So nothing happened. Now it’s been a year and I’m desperate to get it fixed I ask my GP to send a referral to a private clinic, and I’m still waiting my appointment is end of May not good enough really. I will have to pay I’m not rich, I have a mortgage, rates, insurance to pay but I need my hearing and want my ear fixed as my hearing is getting worse. I want the private clinic to diagnose my ear and refer me to the public hospital to get my ear fixed ASAP. I pay taxes I like many other NZers am being let down, I am one of thousands of Kiwis that can’t even get on the lists this in my view is disgusting. The true number of people is not reflected by the Health Ministry that ten thousand number is just those who managed to get on the public waiting lists.
Longer waits for treatment if you make the public hospital lists as many referrals are being turned down, so true numbers are being hidden. And people left till they are acute, many will die and suffer prematurely. Also more homelessness under National, more prisoners, more unemployed, more NEETS, more leaving for Australia.
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