StemCell Therapy

TERESA RAMSEY

Last updated16:23, March 24 2017

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Allen Taylor with 200 life size cut-outs of health workers during the New Zealand Public Service Association's health underfunding roadshow outside Thames Hospital.

Allen Taylor was waiting so long for a cataract operation, he came close to losinghis sight.

Born cross-eyed, the Waihi man was already blind in one eye after a botched eye operation when he was 3yearsold.

So when he was told by his optometrist that he needed a cataract operation on his good eye, he was keen to get it done.

However, it took two years on the waiting list before he had the operation at Waikato Hospital last year.

"I was told by my optometrist that if I didn't have anything done shortly, I could go blind," he said.

"I was really worried. When I was waiting, I sort of got used to the idea that I could be blind."

Taylor, 82, said hospital waiting lists shouldn't be so long.

He had friends whose health had deteriorated while on long waiting lists for vital operations, he said.

"It's been going on for a long time but nobody seems to do anything."

Taylor came to Thames Hospital on March 22 to offer his support for the New Zealand Public Service Association's Health Underfunding Roadshow.

The nationwide campaign travelled to 38 towns across the country to raise awareness about health underfunding.

The events included local stories and 200 life size cut-outs of health workers missing due to underfunding.

New Zealand Nurses Organisation industrial advisor Lesley Harry said underfunding was now affecting patient safety.

"Poor access to care, care rationing, health worker burnout and strained infrastructure are now common,"she said.

"The 2016Budget made it clear that the government was not properly assessing current or future funding needs."

Campaign Organiser Simon Oosterman said Thames Hospital hadthe same issues with workload, staffing and funding as the national survey results.

According to a recentYesWeCare.nz survey of 6000 health workers, nine out of 10 people working in health say they don't have enough staff or resources.

The survey results also showed 82 per cent of health workers thoughtthe government's current level of health funding was affecting their workload and work pressure.

YesWeCare.nz is a new community/health workforce coalition for better health funding and includes 83,000 Kiwis working in health, their unions, ActionStation and the People's MentalHealth Review.

-Stuff

Visit link:
Patient prepared for blindness while waiting two years for operation - Stuff.co.nz

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