Hospital Waiting Lists

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30365, 14 February 1964, Page 10

Hospital Waiting Lists

The long waiting list for surgery reported by the medical superintendent-in-chief of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (Dr. L. McH. Berry) is still so serious as to amount to a breakdown of the social security system for many patients. On February 1 the list totalled 3864, compared with 3484 three months earlier, 3683 on February 1 last year, and 3325 when complete figures were first published on June 15, 1962. Dr. Berry explains that a recent increase is “seasonal ” because of staff holidays; and now that most of the staff have completed their holidays he expects the list to shrink. He mentions also that in each of. the two specialties with the longest waiting lists—orthopaedics and ear, nose, and throat surgery an additional senior surgeon has been appointed, and there should be a “considerable reduc- “ tion ” in the waiting lists of these departments. Yet it is difficult to think that a net gain of two surgeons represents the radical approach that is surely necessary if a waiting list of more than 2000 in the two specialties is to be reduced to proportions that offer patients hope of reasonably immediate treatment. Without treatment, the condition of many patients must deteriorate. Dr. Berry comments that the waiting time

for varicose vein surgery has “ decreased consider- “ ably ”; recently it was “ in “the region of 18 months “to two years”. Now it is 14 months for men and 16 for women. But it is very far from satisfactory for a patient who has been advised to' have surgery for varicose veins to be required to wait 14 or 16 months for treatment. In any case, it is doubtful whether the improvement Dr. Berry records is as satisfactory as he believes. Commenting on the surgical waiting list in January, 1962, Dr. Berry’s predecessor, Dr. Morton, said the biggest problem was varicose veins in women, who could expect to wait 12 months. When waiting periods of up to two and a half years in some specialties have persisted for several years, the interests of patients surely demand more radical remedies than have been proposed. If it is not within the power of hospital boards to find such remedies, the responsibility should be passed to the Government, which operates a social security scheme that is designed to provide medical and surgical treatment when it is needed. Long waiting lists for entry to hospitals are not peculiar to Christchurch; but the position here should certainly receive the attention of the Minister of Health (Mr McKay).