Patients waiting in more pain for operations

Kiwis needing hip or knee replacements continue to face a postcode lottery when it comes to levels of care with more than half the country’s DHBs increasing surgery pain thresholds over the last three years, Labour’s Health spokesperson Annette King says. “What that means is that depending on where you live you may have to be in more pain, and wait longer for an operation than someone else waiting for the same treatment in another region.