Thousands of suffering patients dumped from surgery waiting lists

By MARTIN JOHNSTON

More than 2000 Auckland patients have been dumped from surgery waiting lists because they were judged not sick enough.

Some are suffering serious pain as they need joint replacements and others have eye cataracts (cloudy lenses) so bad that they cannot drive.

Hospitals sent the patients back to the care of their GPs as they failed to pass the rationing thresholds for taxpayer-funded elective surgery.

Counties Manukau District Health Board removed 1235 people from its lists in the last financial year, Waitemata 562 and Auckland 264 - a total of 2061 patients.

GPs had referred them for a wide range of treatment, including eye surgery, joint replacements, abdominal surgery, sterilisation for women and neurosurgery.

Waitemata and Auckland disclosed their figures to Parliament's health select committee this week at the start of this year's round of its financial reviews.

Counties Manukau's and Waitemata's send-back rates are linked to their requiring patients to be sicker or physically worse off than before to qualify for some types of surgery.

National Party health spokeswoman Lynda Scott said hospitals in other regions had done the same, dumping many patients from waiting lists.

She said the amount of elective surgery had reduced since 1999, despite increased health spending, some of which was going into expanding health bureaucracies instead of healthcare.

Ear, nose, and throat patients at Waitemata now must score five more points than before under the surgery booking system and in general surgery the threshold has increased by 14 points. The orthopaedics threshold rose from 66 points out of 100, to 80.

In Counties Manukau, the orthopaedics threshold rose from 65 points to 90, the level at which patients needing artificial knees or hips are unable to walk to their gate or even to bend to put on socks. They need sticks and are in constant pain.

Counties Manukau also lifted the bar for general surgery, gynaecology, eye surgery, ear, nose and throat treatment and plastic surgery.

The Auckland board said it had not increased the points needed in any area.