AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |
Back to Blog
Tell me why im waiting mp311/17/2023 The number of children waiting longer than Te Whatu Ora's four-month target to be assessed by a paediatrician (for physical, mental and behaviour problems) ballooned more than 600 percent, from 394 to 2550, in the year to May. "Some of them are waiting just two years for something to happen, which isn't very easy for families facing other struggles." Te Whatu Ora wait time figures Ostermann, who volunteers with the family support group Children With Disability New Zealand, said it was common for families to wait months for a diagnosis or to get support services in place. So it takes the whole day just to see a doctor for ten minutes," she said. "Then you've got your waiting time for your appointment, and you've got to beat the traffic home. The family lives in Ruakākā and have to drive 30 kilometres north to go to Whangārei Hospital for general services.Īny time they need to see a specialist, it is a trip to Starship in Auckland, where it sometimes takes up to an hour to even find a carpark. "So we've waited nearly a year to get him up and standing, which will impact his joints and his legs for his development." Last August, Alex had surgery to fix the curve in his spine, causing him to grow several centimetres, which meant he was too tall for his standing frame. And no-one could tell you when you would get an answer." I didn't sleep very well, I didn't want to leave his side, it was really stressful. "You didn't know whether it would happen in the day or the night. Then they had to wait five months for an EEG (electroencephalogram to measure electrical activity in his brain) to get a proper diagnosis. In 2018 Alex, who had no previous history of epilepsy, had two seizures in two days in which he stopped breathing and his mother had to resuscitate him. However, some waits were worse than others. 11-year-old Alex using his standing frame.
0 Comments
Read More
Leave a Reply. |