A reminder about the option of making a Treatment Injury Claim to ACC in New Zealand

This is just a reminder for NZ ETS patients who have made an official complaint about their surgeon or who are considering doing so.

Here in New Zealand, the Health and Disability Commissioner (HDC) essentially deals with investigating complaints and 'educating' medical practitioners if they deem it necessary. The HDC does not pay any sort of compensation to patients, even if they find a medical practitioner has not provided a reasonable standard of care to the patient.

To seek financial compensation for injuries/health conditions caused by a medical treatment, a patient needs to make a Treatment Injury Claim to ACC.

See more info here:

http://www.acc.co.nz/PRD_EXT_CSMP/groups/external_claims_care/documents/form/wcm2_020603.pdf

The Kiwi ETS Group contacted ACC in early 2010, to ask them some basic questions about the Treatment Injury Claim process. At the time, ACC informed us that seven people in New Zealand had to date made treatment injury claims in relation to sympathectomy surgeries, and six of those seven claims were accepted.