PEOPLE are waiting longer for elective surgery — some more than a year — as the State Government maps a new health system with fewer beds and doctors as well as the closure of the Repatriation General Hospital.
Data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, to be released on Thursday, shows median waiting times for elective surgery increased to 37 days in 2014-15 — up from 35 days the previous year.
This was below the national average of 35 days.
National leader Queensland had a median wait time of 27 days.
The portion of patients in SA waiting more than a year for surgery rose to 1.1 per cent in 2014-15, compared to 0.8 per cent the previous year, although this was much lower than the 2 per cent rate in 2010-11.
Health Minister Jack Snelling seized on the deteriorating performance as proof the health system needs an overhaul.