Man took his granddaughter to India to see specialist to avoid NZ wait time
Saturday, 16 September 2023
Abhay Joshi flew his 1-year-old granddaughter to India to see an ear nose and throat (ENT) specialist because the wait time was too long in New Zealand.
Joshi was told by a GP the wait for his granddaughter to get a first appointment with an ENT specialist through the public system would be 12 to 14 months.
He was willing to pay and go private, but the wait time would still be about eight to 10 weeks, Joshi was told. Concerned about what impact waiting would have on his granddaughter’s health, he looked into other options.
Joshi, who lives in Christchurch, found that in his country of origin, India, there was no private waiting list and he could get an appointment booked within 48 hours.
His granddaughter, who lives with her parents near Wellington, had experienced throat and ear infections consistently for six months. She was prescribed antibiotics each time.
During visits to a GP and multiple visits to the 24-hour clinic, the family was asked to stay in the car. She was not physically checked and medication was given based on a verbal discussion, Joshi said.
“Out of frustration we took her to a GP known to us in Christchurch. This GP did physically check her throat and ears and said it’s important that an ENT specialist and a paediatrician sees her.”
The wait time of 12 to 14 months for public or eight to 10 weeks for private treatment was just for a first appointment.
Have you been affected by long wait times? Email kristie.boland@stuff.co.nz
“After that, what if she needs treatment? God knows how much time and we are talking about a 1-year-old kid,” Joshi said.
Christchurch medical oncologist David Gibbs previously said it was a “tragedy” children were not getting something like grommet surgery “and therefore missing out on two years of language development as a consequence of not being able to get in for an anaesthetic”.
“You’re not only hurting that child, you’re buying a whole lot of problems for later if they’re underachieving in the education system and more at risk of all the consequences that occur because of that. So where do we spend our money in health?”
After doing some research, Joshi booked flights to India on July 2. They arrived five days later, and within 48 hours had an appointment with a private paediatrician and an ENT specialist.
“In my country of origin … we can get any expert we want including heart specialist, paediatrician, ENT expert and anyone else,” Joshi said.
His granddaughter did not require any surgery but was prescribed medication by the ENT specialist.
The paediatrician found calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, “which was never discovered here in one year because hardly anybody physically checked her”.
“They did not charge exorbitant fees because we are overseas citizens and we were charged the same price an Indian would pay, which was around $20 per consultation.”
The medication was about $40, Joshi said.
After sharing his experience with friends, neighbours and clients, Joshi has learned of others having issues with delayed healthcare for toddlers.
“My son’s neighbour has a 14-month-old son with a similar issue and they are waiting for months in the public system to see an ENT specialist. A client of mine shared an identical experience with her child.”
Joshi’s granddaughter felt better now but he worried about others.
“How long can this go on? Something needs to be done now without further delay.”
Flights to India cost about $3500 per adult, with a child costing about 10% of that, Joshi said.
They stayed with family so there was no accommodation cost, but he believed the price for a “good” hotel would cost about $150 to $175 a day.
Initial consultations for some private practices in Christchurch for ENT ranged from $150 to $350. Surgeon fees for private surgery varied between $850 and $7500, according to some private practice websites.