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An 81-year-old woman languishing on an operating wait list for the past year sat hungry and cold for two and a half hours expecting hernia surgery only to be told it was cancelled because the hospital was too busy.
Helen Hennessey of Lyall Bay has also been on the waiting list for hip and shoulder replacements for the past year.
“I’m in agony. I have the most horrific pain in my groin and down my leg. Of course, my shoulder is sore - I can’t reach, can’t stretch, so to walk is pretty horrible,” she told the Herald.
She was one of four patients who had surgeries cancelled at Wellington Regional Hospital on Tuesday as the health system once again comes under pressure this winter.