Friday, February 17, 2006

oi, mun... you dead yet?


What does Health Minister Pete Hodgson say when we increase our health spending by 50 percent ($3 billion - or $2000 per household), but to get elective surgery you have to be a lot sicker than was the case five years ago.
Prioritisation of treatment was better than several years ago, meaning that those getting an operation might be on average sicker but those left on the waiting list were less sick.

DPF asks for a plain English explaination: Here's one. Sort of.
"We give operations to people who are almost dead, and if you're not nearly dead or not very sick, you can stay on the waiting list, the rest of you should go back to your doctor as you shouldnt be on the waiting list in the first place."

If you're not on a waiting list, you're as sick as those people who got operations five years ago."

"However if you die, rest assured, you`ll be taken off the waiting list. If you`re reading this and you died on a waiting list, perhaps you should have had your operation five years ago. Its important to remember you weren't as sick as the people who are having operations."

No comments: