Treatment injury claims cost ACC $61m

A person who went into a Wellington medical facility for a biopsy and suffered a stroke has received $661,000 in compensation.

The patient topped a list of payouts made by ACC last year to victims of treatment injuries - including babies being injured because they were deprived of oxygen during birth.

Another stroke victim was paid $161,000 after they went in for spinal decompression treatment in Otago.

Strokes are mainly caused by blood clots shooting up to the brain and causing parts of it to die, Capital and Coast District Health Board neurologist David Abernethy said.

"About 13 per cent of people who have a stroke die but, more importantly, about half the people end up disabled and needing help from other people and they're the ones that cost a lot of money."

Figures released to The Dominion Post under the Official Information Act show the 10 most expensive treatment injury claims totalled $3.2 million in the last financial year.

A total of $61.3m was paid to 7832 people for treatment injuries in the same year.

Money is paid out for treatment, rehabilitation and compensation, which can include lost earnings, lump sums and death benefits.

The fifth-highest payout went to a person who was treated in central Auckland and was left a tetraplegic after cranial surgery, which resulted in a $241,000 payout.

Another payout, of $183,000, related to a Bay of Plenty patient who went in for spinal decompression and suffered paraplegia.

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Treatment injury claims cost ACC $61m