Top Surgery Rates in NZ

09 May 07

Top Surgery Rates in NZ

A Ministry of Health report comparing elective surgery rates among the District Health Boards of New Zealand shows Bay of Plenty residents are ahead of many New Zealanders in terms of access to surgery.

The Ministry’s report rates all the DHB surgery areas against a national average. BOPDHB chief operating officer Graham Dyer says while it is great to be seen as ‘ahead’ in some areas, the report is misleading in others. It doesn’t take into account patients who have elective surgery done in private hospitals, either through private or public funding, or the impact of services where patients are treated by other DHB’s outside the region.

The region’s orthopaedics rate is 40 per cent above the national average, reflecting a highly effective orthopaedic surgical operation at both hospitals. The BOP is also 20 per cent above the national average on general surgery and gynaecological surgery, again indicative of effective surgical processes. Yet the report suggests the BOPDHB is under the national average for cardiology (diagnosis and treatment with drugs) and cardiothoracic (heart) surgery.

“We do not do any cardiothoracic surgery in the Bay of Plenty as this surgery can only be performed at a tertiary facility. Currently Waikato treats our heart surgery patients. Recently we began sending them to Otago, in situations where Waikato did not have the capacity to treat them.

“We are increasing our resources to perform more cardiology locally, investing $2million in a new cardiac facility and employing a fourth cardiologist. Currently a contract with Waikato Hospital means BOP cardiothoracic patients are treated there. Those who need surgery urgently are sent to Otago for their surgery, if Waikato does not have the capacity to treat them.

The Ministry of Health has recently provided the Bay of Plenty with additional funding for elective services and $1million of this has been ear marked for heart patients.

“Ophthalmology (eye surgery) is another area where we are below the national average according to the Ministry, yet our patients get access to cataract surgery at the lowest access threshold in the country,” he says. “We contract to a high quality private ophthalmology provider in Tauranga for public patient surgery but the publicly funded patients are not captured in the Ministry’s figures.”

It’s a similar story with paediatric surgery, where the BOP appears to be trailing other regions. “We aren’t a big enough region to have specialist paediatric surgeons, so when children require specialist paediatric surgery they are transferred to Waikato Hospital or Starship.

Overall the BOPDHB compares extremely well with other centres of similar size and configuration. With the new investments being made in facilities and staff the board expects to meet or continue to exceed national targets for access to services for those services it delivers.

ENDS

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