New data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows that patients are waiting longer to access essential elective surgeries and that the number on waiting lists is growing.
In the week these figures were released the AMA and the and the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) have called on all levels of Government to develop a national plan to address the growing and increasingly critical backlog of elective surgeries.
While the AMA and RACS have both supported state government postponement of some elective surgeries to prevent the COVID surge from overwhelming public hospitals, this approach is increasingly unsustainable. An urgent plan is needed to restore reasonable and acceptable access to elective surgery, as well as a long-term funding arrangement to ensure this backlog is cleared.
As the RACS President Dr Sally Langley said “Elective surgery is not an optional procedure that a patient or doctor elects to have – it is essential surgery. It is surgery to address often life-threatening conditions and conditions that prevent patients from living a normal life because of severe pain or dysfunction.”
“For many patients waiting in line in pain to have a critical operation, the delays in surgery can be devastating. Further, the lack of screening procedures has resulted in patients presenting with more advanced cancers, and in some cases, it has dramatically altered their prognosis,” she said.
AMA President, Dr Omar Khorshid said that this backlog is actually much larger than these numbers show.
“The figures this week are just the tip of the iceberg. As a result of the pandemic there has also been a reduction of specialist out-patient appointments, as well as limits on access to general practitioners meaning that people may not have seen their GP for an initial referral. The longer we wait to act on essential surgery, the sicker Australians will become, and the more expensive their care will be.”
“Australia needs immediate action and an enduring solution to elective surgery waiting lists – otherwise our hospitals and our patients will only continue to deteriorate.”
The full media release is available .
AIHW report:
