Notably, the 386 patients overdue for surveillances colonoscopies at Southland Hospital in November 2020 had dropped to 186 in February 2021 while the 47 patients waiting longer than 90 days for a non-urgent colonoscopy had reduced to one. These wait times are based on Ministry of Health advice and vary, depending on the urgency of a patient’s condition. Connolly said the board hoped to have reduced its surveillance colonoscopy wait list to zero by September 2021. In the interim, patients were being offered colonoscopies in Dunedin, he said.
Robyn Edie/Stuff
The Southern District Health Board’s colonoscopy service delivery has been a contentious issue in Southland for many years, leading the board to publicly apologise for its failures in 2020.