If you've seen us around, you may have heard about our Community Surgery Programme, which provides free surgery to patients who have been declined by the public health system, and don't have ACC cover, health insurance or the financial means to pay privately.
Last year, we helped 217 patients with free surgeries, procedures and access to much-needed specialist appointments. The year before, we helped 159 patients.
But, as our population grows, so does the pressure on our public health system. We need to do more to enable better health outcomes on a larger scale, and we'd love your help.
Demand is rising
This year alone we've seen a 34% increase in referrals to our Community Surgery Programme and we want to do more to help. With your support we can help even more people in our community struggling with a health issue holding them back from being an active participant in their lives, including work, home, or in the community.
And it's not just individuals that benefit. In addition to our Community Surgery Programme, we're working to enable better health outcomes on a larger scale, such as enabling eligible patients who have been waiting a long time in the public system to access their first consult with a specialist, for free, and hosting community clinics that can diagnose, treat or refer multiple patients at once.
Together, we can all make a difference.
With us, your support goes even further
Surgeries and interventions provided through our Community Surgery Programme are significantly cheaper than the 'real cost' of providing them in a typical hospital setting.
This is because the surgeons and anaesthetists we work with donate their time for free, and we pay for drugs, consumables and other services provided by Braemar Hospital at cost.
Last year, we paid $88,000 on costs associated with community surgeries. The 'real' cost of these surgeries to be performed in a full fee-paying scenario would have been about $500,000.
OK, I'm in. How can I help?
A donation, of any amount, will help us continue to improve health outcomes and make a massive difference to the health and wellbeing of many people in our community.
You can also read more about our work to advance healthcare equity and access, including our partnerships and collaboration with community groups, capability-building efforts, and support of health-related research and student scholarships.
Thank you. We are so grateful for your support.
