Targets might be met but need is clearly not

Targets might be met but need is clearly not

“There are more people wanting hip and knee joint replacements than can be managed by District Health Boards (DHBs) despite the health target for elective surgery being met or exceeded by all but three of the 20 DHBs. The problem just won’t go away.” Sandra Kirby, Arthritis New Zealand Chief Executive said today. She was referring to the new Zealand Medical Journal showing demand for hip and knee replacements was higher than DHBs could perform . The same article said that patients are now more severely disabled than in 2006.

“Incidence of osteoarthritis is increasing, and the age of diagnosis is dropping. This is resulting in people being unable to work or in some cases manage day to day activities such as bathing and dressing, causing additional financial burdens.”

“While we acknowledge the increase in hip and knee replacements for people with osteoarthritis under funding increases for elective surgery the demand continues to outstrip the capacity of the DHBs. It seems like each week the media carries another person’s experience of living with the crippling pain of arthritis having being turned down for publicly funded surgery”
“There is much that can be done to reduce the health burden of arthritis. Programmes like tailored exercises, pain management, self management and physiotherapy have all been proven to help. We welcome the new Mobility Action teams which are based on this approach but note that 7 pilot programmes will not meet this growing demand and are not a quick fix solution.

“Arthritis New Zealand has been delivering a variety of programmes across the country for many years, and every day it sees the benefits they bring to people who are living with arthritis. Investment in programmes like this generates a long term dividend in the form of a reduced health burden.”

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