Letters to the editor: Surgery access frustrations

How does Bay of Plenty DHB fare against other DHBs in terms of criteria for waiting lists, a reader asks. Photo / File

Thank you for publishing the article on cataract surgery in Saturday's paper.

I was angered to read that it depends where you live as to whether you have any chance of having this life-changing surgery, rather than the actual need for the surgery.

I know someone whose independence has ground to a halt since being told they cannot drive until they have cataract surgery.

Their optometrist said it would probably take about two years before their eyes deteriorated to a level that would mean they could go on the public hospital waiting list and then possibly another two years to actually have the surgery.

This is not acceptable, so the decision has been made to somehow find the funds to have the surgery done privately to, hopefully, ensure they can drive again and regain independence.

I would like to know, as a person requiring a knee replacement, how the BOPDHB fares against other DHBs with the criteria needed to get on the waiting list for that operation.

In my case, I can't even get an appointment to see an orthopaedic surgeon.

Anne Pope
Omokoroa

Fireworks rise up to annoy

Once again, the Government and legal system allowed fireworks to rise up and annoy the populace and terrify the pets and farm animals.

What is the attraction of letting off explosive devices, at night, to the benefit of a few mindless cretins?

Guy Fawkes has nothing to do with New Zealand and Halloween never has been celebrated with explosives.

The only people who benefit are the manufacturers, which probably get much satisfaction from the knowledge that 99 per cent of the people get little sleep. It is time to ban them.

Jim Adams
Rotorua

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