obah

I was reading this page, about private health insurance in NZ, when a statement caught my eye:

"And if you don't qualify for publicly funded surgery? Then you'll need to consider paying for surgery in a private hospital"

I'm sorry? Why wouldn't one qualify for publicly funded surgery, as - AFAIK - everybody is treated in a public hospital, without having to pay a dime? Could they be talking about non-residents/visitors?

garryhg

hi jacky g here....yeh i think they are ......think i'm right in saying you have to be here on wtr or residency to qualify for schooling and free hospital care...doctors you still have to pay for....

teambwr47

Don't have a clue about the healthcare side of it yet but we're on 12 month work (not WTR) visa's and our daughter gets free state schooling as she has a student visa.....

garryhg

have you decided on a school for her yet brian

luvwelly

I read something a few weeks ago about a Charity Hospital opening in Christchurch for people who couldn't be treated in the public hospitals and couldn't really understand what it meant...the article seemed to imply they were people who had failed to turn up for previous appointments and therefore were denied care which would never happen in UK and seems bizarre to say the least.

I'm on a work visa and as far as I know we are all covered for public hospital treatment alongside the cover OH's employer provides wherever they happen to locate us outside UK.

garryhg

sorry thats just me getting it wrong again..........jacky

DaveTheCat

Hang on a sec: you have one strike, then you're out? you have to pay for surgery and stuff? This would be outrageous.

I used to live in NZ and never heard of such a thing - but, on the other hand, I never went to a hospital there. It may also be something new (I left New Zealand in 2003).

teambwr47

Yes we think so....

We won't be in zone for Cockle Bay when we move so the choice was Baverstock Oaks or Star of the sea, which is a Catholic school. As Denise used to be a good catholic girl.. and both our kids have been christened etc they qualify to go there it seems...

We've actually just got back from visiting them both and it looks like Riannon is going to go to Star of the Sea. She's going there on Friday morning to have an introducton half day and assuming alls ok she will start there next term.

Aimee is going to start monday at a lovely nursery in Whitford for a few days a week so she can play with kids her age a bit more.......

Riannon is doing a holiday kids activity club next week that was advertised in the local paper. She's doing three days, food etc included just $5 a day!

luvwelly

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411749/1242575

I've just googled and found this article on the subject...I'm still none the wiser although it now refers to people 'dropping off' public lists.....is it just a charity hospital to speed up the lists? If so as the staff are volunteers who normally work in the sector - don't really see how it helps - just means they are maybe working dangerously long hours? Very concerning that maybe not everyone qualifies for publicly funded surgery.

obah

My reading of it is "dropped off waiting lists and went to private clinics". It may be wishful thinking, though (i.e. the powers that be are taking action on the sorry state of the public health system, which forces people to go private)

Absolutely. Especially when you don't seem to be able to get a clear answer re. who qualifies and who does not.

luvwelly

Hope your reading is correct. The UK NHS (quite sensibly in my view) had the policy of if you had to wait beyond a certain time, they'd pay for you to be treated in the private sector instead....the most important thing for the patient is that quality care is free at point of use and that you don't have to wait too long.

lardyl

not my reading at all - the first patient that went through the pro bono clinic down in Chch was a hernia patient and was interviewed on NZ National. As I recall he was "dropped" from the waiting list in order to make the stats look good and had little prospect of being treated in a timescale of years and so he was treated by the free hospital. As the article said they would "never" get their operations otherwise! Not good!!
Seems like the UK but worse. Time to get those Southern Cross forms completed folks.

luvwelly

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/st...ectid=10461274

Here's another about the first patient. I still don't understand how morally they can knock people with conditions off lists.
This article says patients at the Charity Hospital have to sign a piece of paper to say they 'have been refused treatment at a public hospital'....what are the grounds for the refusal is what I'd like to establish.

I get the impression it's the patients with more minor 'non life-threatening' conditions who are being ignored but these conditions blight their quality of life, maybe lead to depression, longterm absence from work - so there are lots of other potentially negative knock on effects.

obah

Me too - this is turning surreal; what kind of normal society refuses treatment to someone who needs it?

cally49

Hello there everyone......I was just talking with my mate about this the other day.

She is a senior nurse and the reason i was talking to her about it was because i was "dropped" off the list some years ago.....

My operation (a breast reduction) was considered not urgent so it was more minor stuff that was being taken off the list. It was an op that i neeed desperately and eventually paid for myself privately. I didnt realise this at the time but she said i could have re applied to go back on the list and it would have been dealt with on its merits of seriousness.

Similar thing with my partner he waited for 5 yrs (yes he was on he list lol) for surgery on a cyst lump thing on his knee, not dangerous but because it was the size of a golf ball and on his knee and hes a plumber it was annoying to him and becme painful. Anyhow every time he had an appointment for the op he would get a call that morning to say dont come in its been put off as we have an ugent case come in.....Anyhow eventually he got take off the list and 12months ago he went to his doc and said this things painful so back on the list he went.

So this self employed plumber got the call 6 months later, be at the hospital at 8am no food (ya know the drill) he put off all his jobs for the following 2 weeks got seen by a nurse into a gown sat on the bed for 2hrs when a nurse came in and said sorry we cant do ya operation today, you were the second operation and the first one has run over time so we cant do yours sorry for messing you around......Heres a $6 VOUCHER to spend in the cafe...............................How bloody hillarious was that my partner said but this is the 3rd time i have made arangements and you guys have put me off, she said oh sorry about that, next time tell us at the desk when you came in. My mate the nurse said that was just disgusting which it was but t really was like carry on hospital at the time..........

I really think though that NZ does have a reasonable health system you will always get sorted if its urgent.....But i did have a funni thing happen the other day where i broke a toe in my foot my foot was twice the size and black and blue so it looked like i could have actually maybe broken my foot anyhow i went up to A&E nd this smart ass RECEPTIONIST said to me have you been to your doctor with this i said no so she said well you should always go to your doctor first and get them to refer you up here im like what! Then she dropped her bombshell and said take a seat but because you have not been to your doctor first you will have to go right to the back of the que so i went and sat on the naughty chair lol and true to her word 3hrs later i was seen people kept coming and going and there i sat in the naughty chair till she decided it was my turn.....................I have spent time in the UK in the hospitals over the last few years and i would have to say the NZ system is possiby going the same way as in waiting and trying to get through self righteous receptionists to actually get to a doctor...............

Sorry this has turned out to be a feature length story im unsure what the ch ch hospital thingee was about really.
I do think that southern cross is an excllent idea though,i have seen my friend with a few health problems lately and she has always got sorted straight away............