Hearing implants ‘underfunded’

Funding for children – those under 19 years – is meeting demand, but 197 adults are on the waitlist.

The implants are not covered by insurance, meaning people either need government funding through the disability budget, or front the $50,000 cost themselves.

The average wait time is 27 months, but because the waitlist is prioritised and not a queue, low-priority patients risk never receiving an implant.

Baldock said he could no longer listen to music, watch TV, go to the cinema, or have conversations with more than one or two people at a time.

‘‘It is really emotionally challenging to be sat there, say at a family gathering, desperately wanting to be part of the conversation, but just sitting and nodding, smiling, exchanging pleasantries and not really knowing what is going on.’’

Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) is one of two cochlear implant providers in New Zealand, caring for patients south of Taupo. Established in 2003, SCIP provided care to more than 950 patients.

General manager Neil Heslop said funding should go up by 40 adults to 120 nationally.

Funding was not increased in the 2019 Budget.

The previous government provided only a one-off increase of $6.5 million for an extra 60 adult cochlear implants to be performed in 2017/18, after a 26,000 signature petition was presented to Parliament.

No further funding meant, based on current referral rates, there could be 500 adults waiting for a cochlear implant in as little as five years.

Warren Dellow, from Nelson, fronted the cost of $50,000 from his retirement fund.

Dellow was a clinical biochemist working in cancer diagnosis technology until deafness forced his early retirement.

With around 20 per cent hearing in his right ear and total deafness in his left, he was told by his audiologist that hearing aid technology available could not help him.

‘‘The surgeon told me I qualified for an implant but with hundreds on the list I would probably die before my name came up. It’s soul destroying.’’

Ministry of Health deputy director-general of disability Adri Isbister said $8.43 million was invested per year in cochlear implant programmes.

‘‘We appreciate how life changing a cochlear implant can be,’’ Isbister said.

As with other health services, priority to receive a cochlear implant was given to those with the greatest need and ability to benefit.