There is mixed evidence about the public heeding to messages that they shouldn’t neglect potentially serious health conditions because they’re worried about Covid-19.
Lower Hutt GP Dr Joel Howe said since he spoke to 1 NEWS on April 12, the number of people reaching out with concerns had seen a “significant improvement”. He said people were also starting to reach out “a lot earlier”.
Dr Howe said last week he believed patients were avoiding the doctor because of fears they’d catch Covid-19 while getting treatment. He said his clinic was taking precautions like using gloves and masks, but they were seeing people whose conditions deteriorated because they delayed getting treatment.
“They’re getting the message that the doctors are still available, and if they have a concern or query about symptops, that they should ring up," he said.
He said his practice High Street Health Hub, which is housed in the same building as other specialists, was struggling because other services like its dentist were closed during the lockdown.
“We’re getting a lot of patients that we would otherwise turn away to other services, for example, patients with toothache," he said.
He said he was working with the other specialist services in his medical centre, including dentists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, to coax them back to work - virtually - as the country moves to Alert Level 3.
Dr Howe said he was hoping to create a “one-stop-shop” where people are able to video call a whole set of specialists at once for holistic care.
Last week, the Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said the government was emphasising that people should still go to the doctor or hospital if they need to despite the pandemic.
“We have seen the reports about ED attendance being down. As soon as we got a hint this was happening over a week ago, we started to press it home,” he said.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern also reiterated the message multiple times over the past week that people should seek medical help if needed.
Dr Bryan Betty, the Medical Director of The Royal New Zealand College of GPs, said there had been a “slight pickup” in the number of patients seeking help since then.
“The message is out there and it needs to continue,” he said.
Dr Betty said a lot of health professionals’ consultations would continue virtually in Alert Level 3 and only see people in person when required.
He said concerns about contracting Covid-19 “shouldn’t be at the front of mind” when thinking about going for treatment as practices were taking measures.
Meanwhile, the executive director of planning, funding and decision support for Canterbury and West Coast DHBs Carolyn Gullery said changes differed between the DHBs.
Since the country moved to Alert Level 4 until Sunday, the Christchurch Hospital emergency department had seen an average of 174 patients a day. This was about a 40 per cent drop from April last year which saw an average of 270 a day.
“Over the last seven days from 13 to 19 April, the average attendances per day has risen to 192,” she said.
However, Greymouth Hospital saw “no significant changes” in the past week and still saw an average of 18 patients a day. This had remained the same since Alert Level 4 was put in place on March 26. Greymouth Hospital saw an average of about 33 patients in April 2019.
"It's important that people do not neglect potentially serious health conditions because of concerns around Covid-19,” Ms Gullery said.
“If you are concerned about any symptoms you are experiencing, please call your general practice team before visiting."
A Capital & Coast DHB spokesperson said the number of people coming to Wellington Regional Hospital’s emergency department “have remained largely consistent over the past three weeks or so”.
The hospital’s emergency department is still seeing about a 50 per cent drop, with an average of 110 patients per day. This is down from an average 190 for the same time last year.
“We are not able to say with any certainty or accuracy whether public messaging is prompting people to present to ED as this is not something people necessarily disclose,” the spokesperson said.
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