People are waiting a long time at Waikato Hospital’s emergency department (ED) to see doctors, even if they are very sick. A woman waited over 16 hours with suspected internal bleeding, only to be told to go back to her doctor. She described seeing an elderly man in a wheelchair who was in severe pain and going into shock. Other patients in the waiting room helped him get comfortable. He had suffered a heart attack earlier in the day and waited a long time for help.
Another patient, a pedestrian hit by a car, waited about 12 hours for an ultrasound. Some people spent 90 minutes in an ambulance before being taken into the waiting room. It’s common for patients to be told it will take about seven hours to see a doctor, but many end up waiting around 27 hours.
A source said that many patients are coming to the ED because they can’t see their family doctor or can’t afford care. Waikato ED is facing problems like losing experienced nurses and using outdated IT systems. There aren’t enough hospital beds available, causing backlogs. Patients sometimes wait 48 hours on an ED bed without getting into a ward, leaving only a few nurses for many patients. This situation makes staff very stressed and frustrated.
Sarah Dalton from the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists noted that staffing shortages are serious in ED and other hospital areas, making wait times longer. She expressed concern that health leaders focus more on budgets than on patient care.
Health Minister Dr. Shane Reti admitted that long wait times in EDs are common, especially in winter. He has set a target for 95% of patients to be treated within six hours. He plans to visit Waikato Hospital soon to talk to staff about their issues. Michelle Sutherland from Health New Zealand said there hasn’t been extra demand recently, but non-urgent cases might face longer waits during busy times. She advised non-urgent patients to seek care from their GP or after-hours providers.
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