An unacceptable delay in providing an MRI scan to a man who had a history of cancer means the disease has spread to the point it's "not survivable."
The office of the Heath and Disability Commissioner has found the care provided to the man by Te Whatu Ora Southern in 2021-2022, fell short of appropriate standards.
The man, who'd had melanoma before, was suffering leg pain and was referred for an urgent MRI by an Orthopaedic surgeon.
He should have got the scan within 31 days of the request, but it wasn't done for 20 weeks; by then the cancer was in his spine.
The patient told the commission the delay meant further spread through his organs, resulting in the current situation where the cancer is not survivable.
Association of Salaried Medical Specialists executive director, Sarah Dalton, speaks to Lisa Owen.
Te Whatu Ora Southern Chief Medical Officer David Gow was not available for an interview.
But in a statement he said they've accepted the findings and recommendations of the Commissioner's report and were committed to implementing the recommendations.
He says Te Whatu Ora has sincerely apologised to the patient and their family for the distress and impact caused.
He says since this incident occurred, changes to practice have been made, and he would like to reassure the community that the changes will reduce the chances of systems and processes failing in the future.
This includes the installation of a second MRI Scanner at Dunedin Hospital in 2022.
