Govt & DHBs Must Act On Ortho Epidemic Warning

Government And District Health Boards Must Act On Orthopaedic Epidemic Warning

“The government and district health board must act on the warning on the forthcoming orthopaedic epidemic,” said Mr Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today. Mr Powell was commenting on the report of the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association warning of an epidemic within the next 10 years.

“The government and district health boards need to start planning now in order to assess and plan for the resources that will be necessary to avoid increased unnecessary patient suffering that the epidemic will otherwise create.”

“There are already too many people unfairly forced to suffer pain and stress because public hospitals are not resourced to provide enough justified orthopaedic treatment. We need to improve this unfortunate situation which risks getting seriously worse.”

“The Orthopaedic Association has given the government and district health boards good warning and the ball is now in their court to ensure that a national strategy is developed to prevent the epidemic from happening,” concluded Mr Powell.

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