KEY POINTS:
Ross Clapp is not one to accept charity. But after waiting five years for relief from a painful hernia, the 71-year-old retired cabinet maker was prepared to "eat some humble pie".
On Friday Mr Clapp became the first patient to go under the knife at the Canterbury Charity Hospital - a facility believed to be the first of its type in the world.
Everything at the hospital, from the premises to the surgical equipment, to the pens and paper, has been donated by local people or businesses.
Doctors and nurses give their time, free of charge, to perform low priority surgeries for people knocked off public waiting lists.
"It's the fulfilment of a dream for many people really," said hospital co-founder and surgeon Dr Phil Bagshaw.
Mr Clapp fell out of the public system three years ago and was delighted when his GP gave him fresh hope at the charity hospital. He could not wait to live without the hernia that had affected his life for so long.
The concept of the charity hospital was born after Dr Bagshaw visited an Australian conference where he heard a damning commentary about governments' inability to keep up with the health needs of their people.
Dr Bagshaw said volunteers from various fields had flocked in to offer their free services to the hospital.
The hospital facilities and equipment were "of the highest quality".
Dr Bagshaw predicts it will be the first of many charity hospitals to spring up around New Zealand.
Politicians have been quick to leap on what it says about the state of our public health system.
National Party health spokesman Tony Ryall said the Government had been "damning in its silence on the establishment of the charity hospital".
"What it is is a group of very generous people trying to deal with the fact we have a public health service not able to deliver a service they would hope it does," he said.
Health Minister Pete Hodgson said the charity hospital was "a tribute to the health professionals who conceived the idea and have given their time to make it work".
However, he stressed that the new charity hospital was "just one piece of a somewhat larger jigsaw".
Charity case
To qualify for free surgery at the new charity hospital, patients must sign a document stating:
* They have been refused treatment at a public hospital.
* Do not have health insurance to cover the surgery.
* Have a condition that affects their life and wellbeing.
* GPs will act as "gatekeepers" to ensure people in genuine need get surgery at the hospital.
