Grandmother, 86, takes out $15,000 loan for hip surgery<p>

By DAVID DUNHAM
AN 86-YEAR-OLD Tauranga grandmother suffering spells of excruciating pain had to take out a $15,000 loan to pay for a hip replacement in a private hospital because she did not qualify for guaranteed public surgery in the Bay.
Her discomfort started three years ago but intensified in the last year to the point where she would scream in agony if she moved in the wrong way.
But the woman, who asked not to be named, did not meet the criteria of needing an operation within the next six months set by the Bay of Plenty District Health Board - and she thinks it was because she did not complain strongly enough.
She was sent a self assessment form of the problems caused by her "rusty old hip" by Tauranga Hospital after being referred by her GP.
On the form she had to give herself a rating of one to 10 on questions, with 10 being the most severe.
But because she does not like to complain she said she toned down her self-assessment and was told she was below the required level for surgery to be guaranteed within six months.
"I think it was a bit poor. It was a much lower assessment than I expected."
In a further blow, she was told she would not be contacted for another six months when she would have to go through the whole process of filling in the same self-assessment form of rating herself again. This means she is on the "active review" list.
Frustrated and desperate to be able to live a life free of the intense periods of pain her hip often causes her, she decided her best option was to go private. But to do so she had to take out a $15,000 loan and will have to dip into her savings to make up the total bill which could reach $20,000.
"I can understand it (the rejection of surgery) because there are so many people needing operations.
"But our medical system does not cope with the numbers as well as it should. There's a lot of clipboard hierarchy and the money is not there for operations.
"The people working in the health system are battling like hell but they have all this paperwork."
She said the treatment she received at the private hospital - the name of which she does not want to be published - was excellent.
She had her left hip replaced last week but needs the right one replaced and does not have enough money to go private again so will have to wait for a public operation.
Her hopes of being guaranteed a hip operation rest on whether she is considered to be a "highest priority" case.
The woman, who worked in signals and as a teleprinter for the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War 2 from 1942 to 1945, told the Bay of Plenty Times she had led an active life.
She said she found it extremely frustrating not being able to do the things she loved such as gardening.
"I hope it (right hip) will be done in a year's time. I hope I will be able to walk better."
She hopes to pay the loan for surgery back in "dribs and drabs" but the money she will use to make up the expected shortfall had been set aside to pay for hearing aids. She now hopes the RSA will help fund this purchase.
One of the grandmother's nurses during her operation said her patient's situation made her so angry she suffered a sleepless night because of it.
"This is a hard working, clean living taxpayer who has been denied what is rightfully theirs when criminals who injure themselves 'on the job' and recidivist drunk drivers who have maimed and killed all receive taxpayer mega dollars with relative ease because they have life threatening conditions.
"Isn't it time we review the way we allocate our health dollar?"
There are 87 patients on the Bay of Plenty District Health Board's waiting list for hip surgery while the authority completed 204 hip joint replacements in the 2006/07 financial year on 204 patients.The health board said it was unable to comment on individual cases. It said all patients were prioritised and treated in order of need and that patients were more likely to receive hip operations in this region than the average for other regions.
"Active review patients whose score has improved or deteriorated are contacted by a registered nurse who will ascertain their clinical condition and prioritise accordingly."