The number of people who walked out of Bay of Plenty Emergency Departments rose, in the past year.
Ministry of Health figures reveal 715 people self-discharged from Bay of Plenty EDs in June this year, an increase from 532, compared to 12 months ago.
The figures also show 16 people waiting more than 24 hours in Bay of Plenty ED’s between July 2021 and June 2022.
National's health spokesperson Shane Reti says, when people are forced to wait that long, they give up and go home.
A Health New Zealand spokesperson says, wait times have lengthened due to staff getting sick, annual leave accrued during the Covid-19 pandemic and general staffing challenges.
The spokesperson says, waiting for an inpatient bed to become available is another reason for the long wait times.
Reti says, the health sector is becoming overwhelmed, from general practice to hospital emergency rooms.