National's health waiting list

Yet another set back in the health service thanks to National.  My grandmother is 82 this year and ten years ago had a pretty nasty tumour removed from her bowel. Due to this she had to go onto a cancer watch list and get a colonoscopy done every two or three years to ensure everything is ok. It was a colonoscopy that saved her life ten years ago.

It is coming up for four years since Nana had her last colonoscopy done and because she had not heard anything she gave the hospital a call to see why she had not received her appointment. Unbelievably, she was told she had been removed from the waiting list and she will need  to see her GP to get a new referral and she will then be put onto a waiting list along with 17000 other people, yes that figure is correct .. 17 THOUSAND other people!!!

Today Nana went to see her GP for another matter but on the side mentioned this to the doctor. She said she thought that was really disgusting and should never have happened, however, now that it had happened she will need to get one done ASAP (due to symptoms). The number of people on the waiting list means that even if she were put onto the urgent list in the public health system she would still have a huge wait on her hands. She was told that her only real option for her health was to go to a private facility to get her colonoscopy done at a cost of approximately $2500!!

I know that Nana will pay the money as it’s her health and she thankfully has the money to be able to pay for the procedure privately, but if Nana has been told this is what she has to do because of a fault by the public sector then many other people are as well.

I personally don't understand why she needs to go through the private sector, if the public sector has made a dreadful and potentially fatal mistake by taking her off the waiting list then in my opinion it is up to them to correct this mistake and ensure she is seen in a timely manner.

While Nana can afford to pay this money, the principle remains she should not have to! What happens to those out there getting told the same thing but do not have the money. We all pay taxes, even those on benefits pay taxes and in a country like ours every person living here has a right to timely and accurate health care.

This National lead government has done NOTHING but push our health system closer and closer in alignment with the USA current health system that even President Obama wants to change! To make matters worse, Australia has just changed their rules making it much easier for New Zealand doctors to get into Australia and make better money by being able to receive Medicare rebates.

National has also put a wage freeze in place for medical staff. So situations like this are going to become much more frequent. Well done Tony Ryall, you have achieved what you wanted to run down our health system so much and have tax payers believe that to get appropriate care you need to be in the private health care system! I think now is the time we started to loudly say enough is enough!