Jason Dorday/Things
Gabrielle Hogg waited seven months for gynecological treatment at Middlemore Hospital.
Gabrielle Hogg has been in pain every day for the past year.
The woman from South Auckland was diagnosed with: endometriosis in 2017, but recently her pain became so severe that she required laparoscopic surgery to determine the cause.
She was put on the waiting list for surgery at Middlemore Hospital in January – and still waiting.
Despite her pain being so acute, she comes to visit the emergency department every two to three weeks she has not seen a gynecologist for seven months.
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Hogg is one of over 8,000 women in Auckland currently waiting for gynecologist appointmentswith some waiting nearly two years for care.
Jason Dorday/Things
While Hogg doesn’t blame hospital staff, she feels the health system isn’t prioritizing people with endometriosis.
The 34-year-old has become dependent on morphine: “I have excruciating pain every day, so when I end up in the hospital, my pain is the worst.”
While she didn’t blame the hospital staff, she said she felt the health system didn’t see people with endometriosis as a priority.
“I don’t think the health system understands the severity of endometriosis pain. We shouldn’t be suffering.”
In 2021, there were 4,770 people on the waiting list for gynecological services in Counties Manukau, more than in any other Auckland catchment. Nearly a quarter of them were waiting for procedures.
However, the Waitematā district had the highest number of people waiting longer than the recommended length of time: 888 patients.
More than half of all patients waiting to see a gynecologist in Waitematā had been waiting for more than four months.
By May, nearly 580 people in Auckland had received a commitment to gynecological treatment, but they had not received it within four months.
A spokesman for Te Whatu Ora Counties Manukau said the demand for gynecological care was significant.
MONIQUE FORD / STUFF
Jess Sandoval, a patient advocate who was diagnosed with severe endometriosis more than 20 years ago, still struggles with the health system to get adequate treatment.
In 2021, the average waiting time in Manukau provinces rose to 76 days for a first specialist appointment, from 51 days the year before.
Covid-19 pressure impacted services, with shutdowns and subsequent spikes posing challenges, they said.
“These included rescheduling when there were restrictions on face-to-face contact, more hospital presentations and staff illness, which has impacted our ability to reduce wait times.”
As a result, priority had been given to those in greatest need, they said.
“We are very sorry to hear of Miss Hogg’s experience and the impact it has on her daily life.”
A Waitematā spokesperson said the number of women who had been referred and currently awaiting the first specialist appointments was 700 higher than in July 2020.
However, average wait times started to decrease – in 2021 the average was 94 days, but that had fallen to 91 for the January-June period.
At least 14 people have waited more than a year at Auckland Hospital for an appointment in 2021. The longest wait was 719 days.
Te Whatu Ora – Te Toka Tumai Auckland, Women’s Health Director Julie Patterson said that in addition to the impact of Covid-19, increased absenteeism is taking its toll.
“We recognize that some people wait longer for their appointments than they or we would like and we apologize for this.”
“We want to assure the public that if you need urgent gynecological care, you get it.”