Elective Surgery
The waitlist algorithm that morphed into a political weapon
MPs have spent much of the week debating the merits - or otherwise - of an algorithm that takes into account ethnicity to help prioritise patients waiting for elective surgeries. Audio
Government refuses to measure unmet elective surgery need: health expert
A group of health experts say more and more people are unable to get hospital treatment for non-urgent but important health problems, but successive governments, and the Ministry of Health have… Audio
Painful wait: Covid exacerbates delays in elective surgery
Orthopaedic surgeons are concerned about the backlog of people waiting in pain for surgery after Covid forced cancellations earlier in the year. The Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons say 10-thousand… Audio
Govt urged to use private hospitals to cope with demand
Private hospitals want the government to consider using them to carry out non-urgent surgeries, to take pressure off the public system.
Dunedin men declined hospital appointments are living in agony
A Dunedin man declined a specialist appointment says he has considered suicide because he can't cope with living in so much pain. Another Dunedin man's doctor says he exists rather than living. Audio
National promises elective surgery boost
The National Party says it wants to increase funding for elective surgeries, aiming to bring the number of operations to 200,000 a year by 2022.
Figures show 20,000 declined surgery
More than 20,000 people were declined access to surgery and other treatments at the end of last year, new figures show.
Doctors dub govt's elective surgery funding boost a dead duck
Doctors are dubbing the Government's 98-million dollar injection into elective surgery a dead duck. Audio
Doctors dub govts elective surgery funding boost a dead duck.
Doctors are dubbing the Government's 98-million dollar injection into elective surgery a dead duck. Audio
Demand for Elective Surgery
Karen Brown explores the demand and continuing unmet need for elective surgery Audio