Wait till the pain is so bad that you can't sleep - then you might get on the public health waiting list.
That's the advice from GPs to patients who contacted RNZ to tell stories of living in agonising pain - sometimes for years.
The Health Minister has announced a special taskforce to tackle hospital waiting lists - managing them nationally to clear a backlog caused by the pandemic.
But those RNZ spoke to say the problem began long before that.
Niva Chittock reports.
