Healthcare right on time
Local waiting periods among lowest in state
WAITING times for potentially lifesaving colonoscopies at Barwon Health are some of the lowest in Victoria, Freedom of Information documents show.
The documents, obtained by the state opposition, show the average waiting time for elective colonoscopies at Barwon Health was just 42.66 days as of January 31.
This compares to average waiting times of 182 days at Alfred Health, 335 days at Melbourne Health, 266 days at Western Health, 73.1 days at Ballarat Health and 155 days at Monash Health, further FOI documents show.
The number of people on Barwon Health’s elective colonoscopy waiting list has also jumped, from 328 at the start of 2017 to 458 in January this year.
About 80 Australians die each week from bowel cancer, despite almost all cases being treatable if detected early.
Barwon Health Clinical Director of Surgical and Critical Care Dr Simon Williams said the organisation was working hard to reduce all elective surgery waiting lists.
“Increased funding from the State Government has helped us achieve a reduction in the colonoscopy list,” Dr Williams said.
“By using our resources well, we have been able to work efficiently; this is despite record numbers of emergency surgery presentations.
“The waiting lists for surgery across all specialties at Barwon Health are publicly available on the website.”
But the news wasn’t all good for Barwon Health, with the documents showing 57 Category 1 patients on the waiting list longer than the recommended 30-day waiting period.
Almost a dozen of those had been on the waiting list for longer than 60 days, double the recommended waiting time — with one patient waiting 107 days.
It comes after Barwon Health apologised to a Belmont father of two who was left waiting six months for the vital surgery after testing positive to bowel cancer.
Liberal MP — and bowel cancer survivor — Margaret Fitzherbert called on the State Government to make all colonoscopy waiting lists public.
“The Andrews Labor Government has failed for three years to seek details on wait list times for bowel cancer patients, let alone do anything to save lives by reducing wait times,” Ms Fitzherbert said earlier this year.