Data cleansing continues at Waitemata DHB

Waitemata DHB is fiddling the figures as the September 30 deadline for meeting the Ministry of Health's waiting list compliance directive approaches, says National’s Associate Health spokesman Dr Jonathan Coleman.

“The directive from Waitemata DHB management is to remove any patient from a first specialist assessment waiting list if they defer their appointment and their referral falls outside the six month cut-off period. This shows that making the numbers look good is being put ahead of the needs of patients.

"What if someone needs to attend a funeral or their child falls ill and they can't attend their appointment?

”Should they be punished by being culled from the waiting list?

”These people have been waiting long enough, and will now have to suffer further because the DHB is fiddling the figures to satisfy Health Minister Hodgson,” says Dr Coleman.

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