A Westport doctor has slammed the West Coast's orthopaedic service as "a joke". Martin Smith, a GP at Coast Medical in Westport, said some of the region's patients were needlessly suffering while waiting years for orthopaedic surgery. He said he met the general managers of both the orthopaedic service and the West Coast District Health Board recently after he complained about some of his patients' referrals being rejected. "That doesn't explain why patients are waiting a long time, in some cases up to two years for surgery and why the triaging system has changed," he said. Several of his patients, who he had referred to the orthopaedic service, had been rejected without any explanation why.

Source: Stuff March 17, 2019 02:26 UTC