Cancer strikes double blow
Karsten Rentsch doesn’t know when he will see his wife again.
It has been nearly six months since Sylvia Rentsch was forced to return to her native Germany after immigration ruled she would be a burden on New Zealand’s health system.
She left behind a horse-riding business in Nelson and her husband of of 29 years who runs a German sausage shop in central Nelson.
The couple had been in New Zealand for more than six years and had applied for new work visas when their life was turned upside down.
Sylvia was diagnosed with breast cancer in November, 2015 and underwent a mastectomy a month later. She declined chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
Karsten said she had been in good health after recovering from the operation.
But in May this year, Sylvia was told her work visa application had been denied due to health reasons and her interim visa had expired, which meant she was unlawfully in the country and liable for deportation. Meanwhile, Karsten’s visa application was approved.
‘‘It was devastating, what have we done wrong to be treated like this,’’ Karsten said.
The letter from Immigration New Zealand (INZ) to Sylvia said in part: ‘‘You have been assessed as not possessing an acceptable standard of health. Her application was declined on the basis she was ‘‘likely to impose significant health costs or demands’’.
Karsten said they received the email on a Friday night in May and spent a ‘‘horrible weekend’’ working out their options.
Despite having private health insurance, Sylvia was told it had ‘‘no bearing’’ on her likelihood of imposing costs on the health system.
Later that month, Sylvia returned to Germany with only a bag of summer clothing.
‘‘She left everything else behind, we thought she was coming back.’’
Karsten said Sylvia missed her dog Woody ‘‘unbelievably’’ as he had been a huge support as she dealt with her breast cancer diagnosis.
They were devastated that an assessment of Sylvia’s health prospects was made without her being seen by a specialist.
A letter from Nelson Marlborough Health provided to immigration stated her likelihood of survival was 79 per cent over five years and 53.7 per cent over 10 years. However, Karsten said Sylvia had been supplied with different information about her survival chances in previous meetings with her oncologist.
After receiving the Immigration letter, she sought an appointment with her oncologist who had not seen her in nine months, but nothing eventuated.
The couple could not understand why an assessment affecting their future in New Zealand could have been written without a faceto-face appointment with the specialist.
They filed a complaint about the medical report with the Health and Disability Commissioner. The commissioner’s office replied that any issues around the work visa would be better dealt with by Immigration New Zealand. It also said that the health board had ‘‘adequately addressed’’ any discrepancies in medical information and no further action would be taken.
A ‘‘red flag’’ on Sylvia’s passport means she is unable to return to New Zealand.
Karsten estimated in the last six months he has spent about 100 hours contacting Immigration New Zealand, Nelson Marlborough Health and other agencies about his wife’s situation.
He said the organisations all seemed to agree that a doctor could do an assessment without actually seeing the patient.
He continued to look after Sylvia’s horses in the hope she could return to New Zealand. ‘‘It’s very hard being apart, I’m missing her absolutely.
‘‘I am just empty, you are fighting, we went through all the authorities and they are refusing to do anything.’’
Nelson Marlborough Health chief medical officer Dr Nick Baker said medical information requested by Immigration New Zealand related to a procedure from a point in time – such as a course of chemotherapy or a hip replacement.
‘‘We would expect Immigration New Zealand to contact us if they wanted more than this, or a new assessment done of a patient who has been treated and discharged from specialist care.’’
Immigration New Zealand area manager Marcelle Foley said the assessment was made in January on the basis Sylvia was likely to impose significant health costs or demands on New Zealand’s health services.
‘‘Ms Rentsch notified INZ that she had medical insurance to cover her condition, but in accordance with the rules and criteria for the grant of a visa set down in immigration instructions the possession of health insurance has no bearing on whether an applicant is unlikely to impose significant costs or demands on health services.’’
Foley noted the Rentsch’s had sought ministerial intervention in the case.
Karsten said he didn’t blame Immigration New Zealand for its decision, as it was based on the information it had been supplied. ‘‘We just want a chance to talk to the Immigration Minister.’’
At the very least, he hoped the red flag could be removed from her passport so Sylvia could return to collect her belongings.