General Surgery | Te Tai Tokerau (Northland)

Whangārei Hospital

Contact Details

Phone 0800 436 787

Street Address

Whangārei Hospital
2 Hospital Road
Whangārei

Postal Address

Whangārei Hospital
Private Bag 9742
Whangārei 0148

Description

What is General Surgery?
The role of the General Surgical Department varies from hospital to hospital, but in broad terms general surgery can be said to deal with a wide range of conditions within the abdomen, breast, neck, skin and, in many hospitals, vascular (blood vessel) system.
 
While the name would suggest that the focus of general surgery is to perform operations, often this is not the case. Many patients are referred to surgeons with conditions that do not need surgical procedures, but merely require counselling or medical treatment.
 
A Plastic Surgery and Oncoplastic Breast service also supports work undertaken in general surgery.

Referral Expectations

When you come to your appointment, your surgeon will ask questions about your illness and examine you to try to determine or confirm the diagnosis. This process may also require a number of tests (e.g. blood tests, x-rays, scans etc). Sometimes this can all be done during one visit, but for some conditions this will take several follow-up appointments. Occasionally some tests are arranged even before your appointment to try to speed up the process.
 
Once a diagnosis has been made, your surgeon will discuss treatment with you. In some instances this will mean surgery, while other cases can be managed with medication and advice. If surgery is advised, the steps involved in the surgical process and the likely outcome are usually discussed with you at this time.

Common Conditions

Colonoscopy
CTC ( Computerised Colonography)
Gall stones | Cholecystectomy (gall bladder removal)
Gastrointestinal disorders
Hernias | Hernia repair
Skin disorders managed by General Surgery
Thyroid, Parathyroid, and Other Endocrine Disorders
Vascular disorders
Plastic / Reconstructive Surgery

https://healthpoint.co.nz/public/general-surgery/general-surgery-te-tai-tokerau-northland/