A 74-year-old woman, identified as Mrs A, died in Dunedin Hospital after her surgery for a broken leg was delayed for three days, with a review finding the postponement was the root cause of her death due to cardiac issues, a pulmonary embolism, and a stroke during the procedure.
The Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) ruled that Health NZ breached her patient rights, citing limited operating theatre access and failure to adjust her priority status.
Her daughter, a general practitioner, raised concerns about chronic resource shortages at the hospital and hopes the case will drive change.
Health NZ has since implemented measures to reduce surgical delays, including doubling weekend operating theatre capacity, and has issued a formal apology to the woman’s family.
Image credit: Arseny Togulev
Too busy giving our tax money to Ukrainian dictatorships, to fund our healthcare back home properly. When are we going to get elected politicians, who stand shoulder to shoulder, with their countrymen and women?