COMMUNICATIONS

Media Release - 16/11/06

$1.7 Million To Provide Treatment For More Patients
The $1.7 million allocated by the Canterbury District Health Board to treat people removed from the hospital booking system in August, looks set to assist more people than originally envisaged.

This money was set aside, so that the Board could provide for people requiring urgent surgical and medical procedures that had been removed from the hospital booking system because of the Board’s need to comply with the national electives policy.  This policy requires that people should not wait more than six months for a first specialist  assessment or treatment.

About 200 Canterbury people were re-referred and accepted for surgical and medical procedures after being removed from the booking system. Some have already received treatment and the Board is expecting to be able to provide treatment for the rest of the 200 and about an extra 140 patients who were on the booking system – 340 in total.

“Exactly who we will be treating over and above the 200 identified patients is still being determined in consultation with specialist departments and general practitioners,” Vince Barry, a CDHB spokesperson said. “The people that have been re-referred and accepted for treatment have either been treated or know that they will be shortly,” he said.

“Most of the elective procedures will be performed by private providers as CDHB facilities are working at full capacity. Othopaedics, otolaryngology and gynaecology are the three main specialty areas involved.”

In the meantime, CDHB managers are continuing to work with hospital specialists, the Primary Health Organisations and general practitioners to ensure that the Board complies with the national electives policy for the future.

ENDS