NSW claims on elective surgery don't add up

National health statistics have undermined the NSW Government’s claim that it’s tackling the crisis in elective surgery waiting lists, according to the Australian Medical Association (NSW).

AMA (NSW) Councillor Associate Professor Brian Owler today said Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) figures showed the number of elective surgery procedures in NSW had fallen for two years running.

According to AIHW statistics, the number of elective surgery procedures undertaken in NSW public hospitals in 2008-09 was 199,384. This is less than the number of procedures for 2007-08 year (199,578) and 2006-07 (201,630).

“The figures show NSW public hospitals performed over 2,000 fewer elective surgery procedures than they did two years ago.

“This is despite the claims by the State Government that hospitals are doing additional procedures, and despite Federal funding for elective surgery ‘blitzes’.

“Recent AMA research showed that NSW public hospital surgeons don’t trust official Government waiting lists, and the latest data appears to show they are right.

“How can the State Government claim to be doing more procedures, when the cold hard numbers show they are not?

“Genuine action is needed to address waiting lists in NSW, and to bring the performance of NSW public hospitals at least up to the level of the other states.”

Media Contact: Tanzeem Parkar 0419 402 955

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