ВRotorua пройдет бесплатная операция для восьми детей из Тейравайти, включая пятилетнего Хантера Брауна

Gisborne boy Hunter Brown is one of eight children from Tairāwhiti who will receive ear, nose and throat surgery free of charge at Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital on Saturday. Eight children from Tairāwhiti will receive free ear, nose and throat surgery at Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital on Saturday. Among them is 5-year-old Hunter Brown for whom the surgery will hopefully improve his hearing as he starts school. Gisborne boy Hunter Brown did not start talking until he hadhis first pair of grommets, his mother says. While it could have been a coincidence, Nicole Brown believes the grommets her son received at Gisborne Hospital at age 2 helped his speech. “You couldn’t even understand a word he’d say and then he started obviously being able to hear and stuff, and I feel like that helped him a lot ... ” Hunter is one of eight children from Tairāwhiti who will have free ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgery at a community surgery day at Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital on Saturday. The grommet procedures and adenotonsillectomies are funded by the Southern Cross Health Trust’s charitable surgery programme, which supports people facing barriers to accessing timely care. Grommets are ventilation tubes that are surgically inserted into the ear. They allow fresh air to circulate and help to clear infections. An adenotonsillectomy is a procedure to remove the adenoids and tonsils. Brown said she was “stoked” to find out Hunter had been offered the free surgery which she hoped would drain the fluid and improve his hearing. Hunter, who turned 5 last month, starts school in term three. Brown hoped the grommets would mean he could focus more easily at school and not need a lot of time off. “There’ll be a big difference once it’s all healed.” Brown said Hunter would also get his adenoids and enlarged tonsils removed which she hoped would stop him from “gagging and coughing” and reduce his snoring. Children in Tairāwhiti can face ‘extended wait times’ for surgery A Southern Cross Healthcare statement said eight children aged between 3 and 16 would receive ENT surgery to improve their hearing, learning and overall wellbeing. The average cost of a grommet procedure was $2900. An adenotonsillectomy was $7000. Southern Cross Rotorua Hospital general manager Stephanie Thomson said patients were usually referred to the charitable surgery programme by their specialist and must meet eligibility criteria to receive treatment. Thomson said the operating ENT surgeon, Dr Sahr Kortequee, who is based in Rotorua, also provided clinical services in Tairāwhiti, “where children can face extended wait times for ENT surgery”. Working with local clinical teams, children were chosen for the community surgery day based on clinical need and the potential benefit to their health and wellbeing, Thomson said. “By bringing together skilled clinicians and charitable support, we’re able to help make a meaningful difference.” Kortequee, who will be operating on the day, said a tonsillectomy was “a relatively quick procedure” but the difference it could make was “extraordinary”. “Without treatment for recurrent tonsillitis, patients often face frequent antibiotic use, along with ongoing impacts on sleep and schooling due to fatigue and chronic infections.” Anaesthetic care will be provided by Dr Abrie Heilberg, with both specialists donating their time and expertise. Saturday marked the hospital’s second community surgery day at the hospital. The first was in November 2024 when 19 children received grommet surgery. Since July 2017, the trust had funded more than $3.4 million in charitable surgeries, supporting more than 600 people across Aotearoa in specialties including orthopaedics, gynaecology and urology. Health New Zealand was asked how many children in Tairāwhiti were awaiting ENT surgery and the average wait time for surgery. Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.