Amaranayake underwent a three-hour long surgery that started at 7.30pm- three hours after he was rushed to Auckland's Middlemore Hospital. Photo: Supplied
- An Auckland man says he had to wait hours in Middlemore Hospital holding his bleeding fingers following a workplace incident.
- Hamangoda Gedara Gayan Madusanka Amaranayake, 34, was rushed to Middlemore Hospital on 9 September after the fingers of his right hand were "crushed" in the incident.
- Amaranayake said the hospital staff made him stand in a queue without giving any first aid for an hour.
An Auckland man says he had to wait one and a half hours at a hospital emergency department as blood poured from his mutilated fingers.
But Health New Zealand says it is confident in the care he was provided, based on a review of the case by clinicians.
Hamangoda Gedara Gayan Madusanka Amaranayake, 34, was rushed to Middlemore Hospital after the fingers of his right hand were "crushed" in a workplace incident.
The incident happened at 4.20pm on 9 September, he was rushed to hospital.
Amaranayake was made to stand in a queue before being administered first aid an hour after arriving at hospital.
"One of my fingers was hanging off. All I could see was blood and flesh in my hand and a long queue of people in front of me," he said.
"I was trying hard to hold the broken fingers with a piece of cloth in my left hand. I couldn't bear the pain. I felt thirsty. Everything around me turned blurred. I thought it was the end of my life.
"I was only thinking about my children. I was thinking what would happen to them if I lose my life."
He said a woman waiting in the queue told him to move up his hand to control the bleeding.
"I could see my fingers turning black before they [hospital staff] called me inside [a room] for the first painkiller injection."
Amaranayake's wife Dushani De Silva said she's "shocked" and "horrified" to see her husband waiting in the queue when she reached hospital.
"I reached hospital at 5.10pm. I was shocked to see him waiting in pain. He tried to hide his injured fingers from me because he didn't want me to panic but I knew he was in huge pain."
Silva said her husband underwent a three-hour long surgery that started at 7.30pm.
"Doctors took off his index finger in the first surgery and said they were trying to fix the ring and middle finger.
"Two days later, they [doctors] said there's no point of keeping the ring finger."
He underwent another surgery for his ring finger.
"He can't do anything by himself. He can't even eat properly. I have to feed him, brush his teeth and do the washing and everything."
The couple sold off their property in Sri Lanka to come to New Zealand and they were waiting to apply for their residency after spending two years in the country.
"We came to New Zealand with a lot of dreams," the wife said.
"My husband has more than 10 years of experience as a mechanic. He's very talented. He cleared NZQA qualification to come here. He wanted to be a qualified WOF inspector and then start his own workshop.
"But this injury has made him disabled.
"We can't go back as we have sold off our house and I don't know if we can still get a PR as he's injured now. I don't know what to do.
"I am only looking at today. I am not looking at tomorrow."
A trained mechanic from Sri Lanka, Amaranayake came to New Zealand in April 2023.
The couple has a seven-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son.
Krishan Gallage, founder of SLNZ helpline, said he was shocked after hearing about the incident.
"The hospitals should only get basic information if possible but they should not prioritise lengthy paperwork which can take a significant amount of time, especially in urgent situations.
"I request the health authorities to [should] consider the challenges faced by new migrants, such as language barriers and unfamiliarity with the system and processes."
Gallage said migrants generally had strong faith in the New Zealand health system.
"There is always a room for improvement, particularly in addressing the needs of those who may not be fully aware of how the system operates. I appreciate the hard work of medical staff, but I think steps can be taken to better support new migrants in navigating the healthcare processes."
A Health New Zealand spokesperson said their clinicians reviewed the case and were confident with the care that was provided.
"The amount of time that a person waits in ED - both before and after seeing see a doctor - is complex.
"People coming to ED are assessed upon arrival and prioritised based on their clinical need and acuity, rather than by order of presentation.
"All decisions around patient care are made on a case-by-case basis by experienced clinical staff, with patient safety at the heart of all decision.
"We recognise that it can be frustrating for people waiting in ED and our staff work extremely hard to assess, treat, and discharge or admit patients within a reasonable timeframe.
"Generally with finger/hand injuries, the timing of pain relief can vary due to the need to assess feeling and movement."
The wife has made a Givealittle page.