The research, by TNS New Zealand, commissioned by Health Funds Association New Zealand (HFANZ) and the Private Surgical Hospitals Association, found 110,000 New Zealanders were on official waiting lists, and a further 170,000 had not been placed on waiting lists despite being told they required elective surgery.
HFANZ chief executive Roger Styles, of Wellington, told the Otago Daily Times caution was needed interpreting the results at a regional level, but it appeared the situation was worsening in the South.
When the survey was conducted in 2013, 28,000 people in Otago-Southland were counted as being in need.
The survey involved 125 people in the Southern DHB area. Mr Styles said the survey was necessary because of a lack of information about how many people needed elective surgery.
Official waiting lists counted only those who could be seen within a specific timeframe, and that left an information gap.
‘‘We're trying to build a picture of the total numbers waiting and how long people are waiting.''
Nationally, the results were consistent with the 2013 survey.
HFANZ represents health insurers. Asked about people who could not afford health insurance, Mr Styles said the greater the number of people covered, the lower the premiums.
‘‘If people are having concerns about premium costs they should discuss it with their insurer and look at whether they can take a larger excess.''
Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman, in a statement, accused the association of trying to ‘‘drum up'' business.
‘‘Some of the data doesn't correlate to what we have from DHBs, and there's a difference between surgery people actually need, and surgery people think they need.
‘‘But it shows that we're focused on the right area. The only answer to increased demand is to do more - more assessments and more operations - and that's what we're doing.''
Dr Coleman said the Government was addressing the lack of information in the National Patient Flow project, from which initial data was released earlier this year.
