Nelson cuts eye patients from hospital waiting list

About 300 Nelson patients with routine eye conditions are being wiped from hospital waiting lists and told they no longer qualify for treatment in the public health system.

The move follows a similar waiting list cull by Nelson Marlborough District Health Board in December last year, when 420 patients with routine ear, nose and throat conditions were referred back to their general practitioners.

All the patients have GP referrals but have been waiting longer than the Government's six-month target for an assessment with a hospital specialist.

Surgical and emergency services regional manager David Brydon said some semi-urgent ENT patients with a "higher clinical risk" would also be cut from lists midway through the year.

Patients with routine orthopaedic conditions would be targeted next.

He said the moves would provide clarity for patients about their chances of being seen under the board's current funding, and allow them to explore other treatment options.

Nelson GP spokesman Graham Loveridge said the move was simply a cost-shifting exercise from the public sector, and would mostly affect elderly patients with limited disposable income to spend on private healthcare.

He said some eye conditions could not be detected unless patients were assessed at a hospital with specialised equipment.

Patients would be made to suffer uncomfortable and painful conditions without the chance of publicly funded treatment.

- NZPA