Tas elective surgery waiting lists still longest in the country

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Tasmania’s Health Minister insists his overhaul of the system will result in an improvement in elective surgery wait times, which remain the worst in Australia.

Analysis of elective surgery waiting times by the Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) showed Tasmania lagged behind the rest of the country.

The report found that nationally, public hospital waiting times remained stable from 2012-13 to 2013-14, despite a 4 per cent increase in admissions.

In Tasmania, 11.5 per cent of those wanting elective surgery had to wait more than a year and the figure had not improved on the previous year.

The statistic is significantly higher than any other jurisdiction – the closest was the ACT with 4.7 per cent waiting more than a year.

The institute’s David Braddock said the state’s median waiting time had also increased.

“In 2013-14, the results showed that the median waiting time for elective surgery in Tasmania was 45 days, that had increased from the figure that we obtained in 2009-10 which was 36 days,” he said.

In five years to 2014 ,Tasmania was the only state where admissions from elective surgery waiting lists decreased, going down 2.2 per cent.

Health Minister Michael Ferguson pointed out the latest data referred to last financial year, under the previous Labor government.

He blamed the former government and said change would take time.

He wanted the health system to save $210 million over four years, but said there was new money for elective surgery.

“It’s not just about money, it’s also about how well the system is equipped to take the money and turn it into outcomes,” he said.

He also said the plan to scrap the state’s three regional health bodies would help the bottom line.

The AIHW is a body set up by the Australian Government to provide health and welfare information.