Painful wait as woman denied surgery

Yvonne Allen, 70, needs a hip replacement but did not make it onto the public waiting list despite a doctor and physio saying she needed one. Photo / George Novak

A Tauranga woman in constant pain says she has been told there is not enough funding for her hip replacement surgery despite specialists saying she needs the operation.

Yvonne Allen used to walk up and around Mauao every day but can now barely walk around a mall.

The 70-year-old Papamoa woman has arthritis in her left hip but was told she would not get a hip replacement this year despite her doctor, a specialist and a physiotherapist all agreeing she needed one.

"It's a pain that never goes, just some days are worse than others," she said. "You get just a bit frustrated."

She now has to take a tramping pole with her when she goes for a walk in case her hip gives way.

She is not alone in her plight.

Grey Power this week waded into the fight for better access to elective surgery, announcing they had found 100 people struggling to get elective surgery nationally, 25 of whom were from the Western Bay.

Mrs Allen had her right hip replaced about six years ago through a private health provider but she had to go on the public hospital waiting list this time because she and her husband could no longer afford health insurance as the premiums increased as they got older.

Mrs Allen's doctor put her on painkillers in November and in February she saw a specialist.

She also had to get a referral from a physiotherapist who confirmed it had affected her life and told her she would get the replacement surgery within about four months.

Mrs Allen was shocked to receive a letter from the Bay of Plenty District Health Board two weeks later saying despite the "specialist assessment confirming that you would benefit from surgery" there was not enough funding for her operation.

There was no signature or phone number on the letter and after tracking down someone at the hospital who knew her situation she was told she had missed out on the operation by two points and would have to start the process again.

"Your whole life is affected," she said.

"Your life goes on hold."

She went back to her doctor and got another specialist appointment for October.

"Having paid taxes and health insurances all those years it makes me wonder do they class us older citizens as not important enough," she said.

A Bay of Plenty District Health Board spokesman said the DHB performed about 360 hip replacements every year at a cost of about $18,000 each.

"Referrals are prioritised according to clinical need.

"The BOPDHB uses the national grading system for assessing each patient's clinical condition. Those with the greatest need are treated first."

Health Minister Tony Ryall said he could not comment on individual cases but said the Government had made hip, knee and other elective surgeries a priority, increasing funding every budget.

"In Bay of Plenty elective surgery has risen from 6250 in 2007/2008, to 9000 in 2012/2013 2750 extra Bay of Plenty people are receiving elective surgery each year," he said.

Have you been waiting for an elective surgery?

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