118,553 NZers wait for their First Specialist Assessment
Thursday 7 Apr 2005
Heather Roy - Press Releases - Health
ACT health spokesman Heather Roy today revealed that 118,553 New Zealanders were waiting for their First Specialist
Assessment at the country's 21 District Health Board's in December 2004, an increase of 5,102 since September when
113,451 were waiting.
Information released to Mrs Roy by the Ministry of Health shows 25,190 people had waited for more than six months for
their First Specialist Assessment - up 2,113 since September 2004 when 23,077 were waiting.
"In August 1998, Health Minister Annette King -then in opposition bluster mode-described the fact that 96,000 people
were awaiting First Specialist Assessments as `criminal' and raged that people could be dying," Mrs Roy said. "Now, with
numbers continuing to rise under her watch, Ms King is conspicuous by her silence.
"Annette King is trying to tell us that Labour is doing a great job with health, but the number of people waiting to
have their medical conditions assessed continues to climb at a dramatic rate.
The Government has declared that no one should wait longer than six months to be seen by a specialist for assessment.
This time doesn't count as waiting list time and when some patients finally get surgery their condition has worsened to
the point where they can never regain their full quality of life.
"Annette King should be embarrassed that her First Specialist Assessment figures are so much higher now than when she
was in opposition and claimed 96,000 to be criminal and that people could be dying. She should front up and admit she is
failing New Zealanders considered by GPs to need surgery or specialist treatment," Mrs Roy said.
*Individual DHB specialty figures available
District Health Boards
Waiting for FSA
Waiting more than 6 months for FSA
Northland
4,537
1,533
Waitemata
9,157
2,502
Auckland
15,225
2,602
Counties-Manukau
9,398
2,116
Waikato
9,982
1,312
Lakes
3,499
719
Bay of Plenty
6,808
1,271
Tairawhiti
2,163
776
Hawke's Bay
4,474
955
Taranaki
3,587
905
Midcentral
6,290
1,542
Whanganui
2,822
694
Capital and Coast
8,008
1,749
Hutt
3,309
418
Wairarapa
1,367
166
Nelson-Marlborough
4,884
1,253
West Coast
1,744
533
Canterbury
11,122
1,894
South Canterbury
2,297
658
Otago
4,899
766
ENDS