Judith Collins MP National Party Health Spokeswoman
13 January 2005
Long waits for after-hours care in Auckland
Patients are waiting too long for after-hours healthcare in Auckland this summer, says National Party Health
spokeswoman, Judith Collins.
"I received a letter from a patient who spent a total of nine hours at the Auckland City Hospital eye clinic on December
28.
"When she left the clinic at 11pm, there were still 12 patients waiting to be seen. Among them was a young girl with
glass in her eye, another with steel embedded. I can't even imagine the pain these people must have been experiencing."
Ms Collins says the pressure placed on the house surgeons, registrars and nurses at the hospital is unacceptable.
"The Government's funding system makes it increasingly difficult for after-hours clinics to provide the services the
public desperately needs.
"You can't take a summer holiday from injury and pain. People should be enjoying what little summer we have, not waiting
a ridiculous amount of time to see a house surgeon," says Ms Collins.
ENDS