- Hon Simeon Brown
Women in Counties Manukau are now receiving specialist gynaecology care much sooner, with long waits for a first specialist assessment significantly reduced over the past year, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
"In June last year, more than 305 women in Counties Manukau had been waiting over four months for their first gynaecology appointment," Mr Brown says.
By June this year, that number had fallen to just 30 - a 90.2 percent reduction.
"This is a result of the hard work and dedication of the Counties Manukau clinicians and healthcare teams who have played a crucial role in reducing waitlists, including by running extra weekend clinics and maximising available clinic sessions to add more appointments.
"During the same period, the total gynaecology waitlist reduced by 35.6 per cent, from 1,020 to 657 - giving hundreds more women access to the timely care they need."
Mr Brown says these local results build on the positive national quarterly health target data released earlier this week, which showed steady improvements for patients waiting for a first specialist assessment across New Zealand.
"Nationally, more patients are being seen within four months, and the overall waitlist is coming down. In the last quarter alone, thousands of people received timely assessments they had previously been waiting months for. Counties Manukau's progress shows what those numbers mean in practice."
The Government's target is for 95 percent of patients to receive their first specialist assessment within four months by 2030.
"Every improvement brings us closer to that goal, with Counties Manukau showing what's possible when we put patients first and support our clinicians to deliver. These results are encouraging, but we know there is still work to do.
"We will keep building on this progress, because we are committed to ensuring every New Zealander has access to timely, quality healthcare," Mr Brown says.
