2 Apr 2025

Nelson woman waited over a year to get first appointment

From Checkpoint, 4:49 pm on 2 April 2025

A woman who was referred to Nelson Hospital's gynaecology department waited more than a year to get a first appointment and by then she was so desperate she'd already gone private. Health New Zealand sent a crisis team to Nelson after several senior hospital doctors went public with their concerns about excessively long wait times, under staffing, and lives being put at risk. Aleisha Hosie spoke to Lisa Owen.