Most Queenslanders needing elective surgery are getting their operations done on time but the number of patients remains stubbornly high, new figures show. or signup to continue reading The latest state health released on Sunday showed almost 38,000 elective surgeries were carried out in the three months ended June. More than 75 per cent of patients were treated within the clinically recommended timeframe, which is 30 days for the most serious cases, three months for semi-urgent cases and within a year for non-urgent cases.
"Queenslanders are getting their surgery done faster here than anywhere else in the country," Health Minister Shannon Fentiman told reporters. The median wait time across surgery categories was 40 days in the final quarter of the 2023/24 financial year. People needing orthopaedic surgery had the longest median waiting time at 77 days, followed by ophthalmology cases at 73 days and ear, nose and throat surgeries at 67 days.
Some 61,421 patients are still waiting to have their surgeries. Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said the elective surgery data was the "worst ever" in Queensland history. "They are life-changing procedures," he told reporters on Sunday.
"It's a cataract surgery to stop someone going blind, it's a hip replacement to get somebody mobile, a colonoscopy that might save somebody's life. "These are serious surgeries, and the delays have serious consequences." Ms Fentiman claimed the high number of patients waiting for surgery was due to a growing and ageing population.
She dismissed Mr Crisafulli's criticism, saying the state health system is leading the nation because the number of people waiting longer than clinically recommended for elective surgery had halved in the past 12 months. "Yes, the list is getting bigger, but despite that demand, more Queenslanders are getting seen within those recommended time frames," she said. Health is a key priority for voters ahead of the state election on October 26.
The Queensland Liberal National Party is looking to overturn Labor's nine-year tenure in government. So far, opinion polls are pointing to a change of government in less than three months. If elected in October, the LNP plans to release real-time health data and add more beds, nurses and doctors to the state's public hospitals, while also changing the culture to put health staff rather than bureaucrats in charge.
The Miles Labor government is investing heavily in the health system and earmarked a record $28.9 billion in its budget for 2024/25. DAILY Today's top stories curated by our news team.
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