RETIRED GP and 85-year-old Cairns resident Colin Day has been on a waiting list to see an ear, throat and nose specialist for 18 months. Formerly an orthopedic surgeon in the air force, he said he understood both sides of the situation but was adamant waiting list times in the Cairns region were unacceptable. “During the 18 months, I have received two unsigned letters from unnamed hospital correspondents purporting to come from a Divisional Director of Critical Care and Peri-operative (pre-operation) asking me if I still require an outpatient appointment. Otherwise my name will be removed from the waiting list if I don’t reply,” he said. “It is a medical fact that the degree of urgency for a person’s treatment in any medical or surgical field, either as an inpatient or an outpatient, cannot be properly assessed without a personal consultation with an appropriate specialist. “Fortunately I do not have a serious malignant condition. “If I had I would probably not have survived the 18-month wait.” Mr Day is a pensioner and said he could not afford private care. And he is adamant the lack of staff and appointments in the Cairns and Hinterland Health Service is leaving patients at risk.