The family of an elderly Auckland woman who had to wait almost seven hours for an ambulance and a week for broken kneecap surgery have written an open letter to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Elizabeth Hopper, 85, broke her kneecap last week and it's turned into the fight of her life.
The Parkinson's and dementia patient waited seven hours for an ambulance to take her to Middlemore Hospital and then waited seven days for surgery, which she finally received late on Wednesday.
"I don't know if it's a lack of staff, a lack of theatres. Something is broken somewhere and all I know is it has affected her to the point she may not come home," her daughter Jo Nicholson said.
The family said the former nurse "who has selflessly given of herself for 40 years" had been in so much pain getting food and fluid into her had been almost impossible.
Without an open wound, they were told she wasn't urgent enough.
"We've just witnessed her slip away," Nicholson said.
The family described Middlemore staff as brilliant in trying conditions, but have penned an open letter to the Prime Minister in disgust at what they said is "a broken system" where only those with open wounds get urgent treatment.
"That's a really disturbing story to hear, clearly that is not what we would expect and we are certainly looking to support every patient so they get timely treatment," Te Whatu Ora interim national medical director doctor Pete Watson said.
The NZ Orthopaedic Association (NZOA) said the case was indicative of a wider health system spiralling out of control.
Aside from the nursing and anaesthetic technician shortages, a lack of funding meant only 13 orthopaedic surgeons could be trained in hospitals in 2022, which is half the number New Zealand needed annually.
Orthopaedics has the biggest waiting list in New Zealand with almost 7000 Kiwis waiting longer than three months to get the help they need.
"There is capacity in the private sector, and we have put a proposal to both public and private surgeons working in that sector and they are ready to roll up their sleeves," said NZOA chief executive Andrea Pettett.
NZOA has put a proposal to Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ.
"If 200 of our surgeons were to take one public case every month for ten months of the year we could undertake 4000 cases," Pettett said.
Te Whatu Ora, Health NZ spokesperson Fionnagh Dougan told Newshub: "Using private providers more is part of the plan to bring waiting times down and it will be done through existing contracts we have in place with private providers."
NZOA claimed surgeons and private hospitals are yet to hear details.
