''Forty weeks - I thought it was a typist's error. A guy could be dead by then,'' he said.
The wait time was ''scary''.
''If I do have bowel cancer, it's a long time to wait.''
About a month ago, his doctor asked for the board to review Albert's priority but he had not heard anything back.
He wondered how many people in the South were on a waiting list to see a specialist and if his age was a reason for not being able to see a specialist sooner.
''Maybe they think I'm past my use-by date.''
Bowel Cancer NZ medical adviser Prof Frank Frizelle said it was ''very concerning'' the SDHB had given a patient with symptoms a 40-week wait time.
''Bowel Cancer NZ would expect a patient referred by their GP with blood in their stools to be seen within 12 weeks.
''Advanced age should have nothing to do with it.
''If anything, this patient's age makes it more urgent that he see a specialist, given the symptoms he is experiencing.
''A 40-week wait is unacceptable.''
SDHB surgery and radiology general manager Janine Cochrane said age was not a consideration when triaging patients for appointments.
''Currently we receive many more referrals into our general surgery service than we are able to see with our target time frames for first specialist appointments,'' Ms Cochrane said.
About 500 patients had been referred for appointments in the general surgery service at Dunedin Hospital, she said.
''We do need to prioritise these in order of urgency.
''We are looking at opportunities to offer additional appointments, such as dedicated clinics for particular conditions.
''However, we are aware this means some patients are waiting much longer than we would want, and understand that this is concerning for those who are in this situation.
''We encourage individuals to go back to their GP if their condition changes or there is further information they believe should be considered in relation to their referral.''
