A family is demanding answers after their elderly father was denied an ambulance and waited hours for treatment for a bone-deep gash on his face.
WARNING: This article contains two videos with graphic images.
Lolesio Pupu after his treatment Photo: Supplied
Lolesio Pupu, 79, waited at Middlemore Hospital's emergency department yesterday for five hours before a doctor was able to see him, and a further four for an X-ray.
That was after a St John nurse declined to send an ambulance, instead recommending he be taken to a medical centre.
Mr Pupu slipped at his local gym in Manukau, falling and hitting his head on a rowing machine.
Daughter Noma Sio-Faiumu has questioned why an ambulance was not sent.
"One, he's an elderly gentleman, second [the St John nurse] was told he was having cancer treatment, and three it's a major injury, they're telling her he's gashed right through, we can see the cheek bone," she told Checkpoint with John Campbell.
She chose to drive Mr Pupu to Middlemore.
"They were great people when they were attentive, but you could see they were understaffed and under-resourced," she said.
"[A doctor] apologised and said yes [the X-ray] should have been done earlier, but they were just busy."
Mr Pupu's son, Labour MP Sua William Si'o, posted a graphic photograph of the injury to Facebook.
The government has set a six-hour target for people to be seen by a doctor at an emergency department. It was brought in in 2009 and, since then, patient deaths have halved.
Mr Pupu was seen within that target, but the family did not believe the bar was set high enough.
"It's not just us, we're in a room full of people making similar complaints, 'Why is it taking so long?', and this is an emergency space," his daughter said.
Counties Manukau District Health Board acting chief medical officer Dr Vanessa Thornton said the hospital prioritised its patients.
"The sickest and most urgent patients are seen first, and yesterday we had a lot of emergencies happening around the time he arrived, but obviously, yes, it's very distressing for families to wait a long time to be seen," Dr Thornton said.
"If people said, 'Would you like a whole lot more staff, more facilities?', I don't think any doctor or nurse would say no."
St John spokesperson Adrian Haigh said: "The call was managed according to internationally recognised triage processes."
He said Mr Pupu was "not deemed to have a life-threatening condition and the nurse's advice was given according to best practise".
