Patients 'will die' over culling waiting list

National's health spokesman has called the nation-wide culling of hospital waiting list figures "out of control" after a senior cancer specialist warned some waiting list patients would be sent home to die.

National MP Tony Ryall said Health Minister Pete Hodgson needed to start dealing with the "crisis" instead of manipulating the waiting list figures.

"This is out of control. He must deal with the concerns and fears of specialists - and patients - up and down the country."

Mr Ryall made the comments after it was revealed patients with undiagnosed bowel cancer would be among 2500 to be dumped from Christchurch Hospital waiting lists.

About 1000 patients awaiting a colonoscopy - a procedure for diagnosing bowel cancer - are likely to be taken off waiting lists as the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) falls into line with Government policy to restrict the waiting time to six months, The Press reported today.

New Zealand has the highest rate of bowel cancer in the world - a condition that kills about 22 people every week.

Christchurch Hospital professor of colorectal surgery Frank Frizelle told The Press newspaper the threatened cuts had left doctors angry and upset.

"If you take 1000 people off the waiting list, some will have cancer, and, if it's not caught early, people will die," he said.

Reducing waiting lists to six months would mean axing not only routine and semi-urgent cases but also some urgent patients, or those with symptoms of suspected bowel cancer.

The cull was driven by a need to balance the books, not best medical practice, he said.

"The money spent on health is inadequate to provide a realistic level of health care for New Zealanders. It's very frightening."

The Health Ministry has called for 17,000 patients to be culled, with the largest single cut in Canterbury.

The Auckland, Waitemata and Capital and Coast district health boards followed, with each needing to remove more than 2000 patients from their lists.

In Wellington more than 2500 patients are facing the waiting list cull and DHBs have announced 12,000 patients have or will be culled from waiting lists to see specialists.

Canterbury axed 4400 patients from hospital waiting lists last year.

Mr Ryall said he spoke with Dr Frizelle this morning and said his comments echoed that of medical specialists.

"The waiting list cull is getting out of control. Senior medical specialists are calling it "dangerous and risky" and "frightening".

- NZPA