More Labour waiting list tricks
Wednesday, 2 November 2005, 3:55 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party
Hon Tony Ryall MP National Party Health Spokesman
2
November 2005
More Labour waiting list tricks
More
evidence of the Government's waiting list tricks has come to
light with reports that MidCentral Health is slicing 160
heart patients off its waiting list, says National Party
Health spokesman Tony Ryall.
"To reduce political
embarrassment these patients are being sent back to their
GPs without treatment," says Mr Ryall.
"MidCentral
Health is telling GPs to either monitor routine cases
themselves, or consider referral to a private
service.
"GPs would not have referred these people if they
weren't sick.
"Soon the Government will again claim it is
improving the health service because the waiting lists have
dropped.
"Health boards are being forced to gamble with
people's lives to make this Government look good.
"Taking
people off waiting lists is a feeble attempt to hide the
problem and make the numbers look better for the Government.
It does nothing for the patient.
"No medical school has
ever taught that removal from a waiting list is a cure for
anything," says Mr
Ryall.
ENDS
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