Waiting surgery hopefuls soar to 120,000
Heather Roy
Monday, 16 May 2005
Press Releases - Health
The number of New Zealanders waiting for a First Specialist Assessment has skyrocketed by 13 percent in the last six
months, ACT Health spokesman Heather Roy revealed today.
Mrs Roy was commenting on new figures, obtained from the Ministry of Health under the Official Information Act and
written Parliamentary Questions, which show that in the six months to the end of March, the number of Kiwis being
assessed for surgery has ballooned by 6,245 to 119,696.
Patients are referred for a First Specialist Assessment when their family doctor considers their condition warrants an
operation, or warrants an assessment by a specialist as to whether they need an operation.
Over half of the surge in numbers (3,206) were in the Auckland and Waitemata District Health Board areas, with
significant increase also in Canterbury (10 percent) and Waikato (8 percent).
"There are now around 120,000 patients waiting for their First Specialist Assessment. Of these, 26,395 have been waiting
over six months, a rise of 14 percent in the number waiting longer than Health Minister Annette King's promised maximum
six month waiting time," Mrs Roy said.
"New information also reveals that Labour is set to boost health spending by $1 billion in the budget. This new spending
is not for extra services and merely highlights Labour's cynical vote-buying mentality.
"This extra spending will be soaked up by the existing $550 million annual increase, $110 million a year for asset
testing, $145m for the nurses Pay Jolt, $61m for the Holidays Act, additional DSS (Aged Care) of $50m, $50m for
demographics and numerous additional announcements that take the increase to well over $1 billion.
"The tragedy is that there is no health gain. Ms King's own figures show that despite Labour pouring billions more
dollars into health, the number of operations has not budged, with 61,000 patients assessed as needing surgery but left
languishing on waiting lists.
"Labour's record $1 billion election year spend-up will not deliver any more operations, and sets the health system up
for a crisis as the economy begins to slow down," Mrs Roy said.
* Figures available on request.
ENDS