More than a hundred sets of Dunedin Hospital crutches were returned last week, but many have been away so long they are beyond repair.
Orthotics Otago administration officer Robyn Hullen said she would have to throw out about 45 pairs of the 120 returned last week because they were not serviceable.
Some of them would have been about 10 years old and had rusted, with the moving parts seized up.
Usually in a month the organisation gets back about 75 pairs, of which about 50 can be re-used safely.
Orthotics Otago supplies 50 pairs of crutches a week to Dunedin Hospital, but many are never returned, which is costing the hospital about $1500 a month for replacements. Hospital management is reviewing the way it follows up the return of such equipment.
Ms Hullen said the crutches which could not be used would be stripped and sold for scrap.
