Surgery waiting lists swell again

ELECTIVE surgery waiting lists in Tasmania increased by 500 people since Federal Government funding ended last June, Department of Health statistics reveal.

The figure emerged during debate over Federal Labor’s $30 million promise for elective surgery if a Shorten government was elected.

The Department’s HealthStats website shows a waiting list of 5886 patients last September, 501 more than the June figures of 5385.

A spokeswoman for health Minister Michael Ferguson said lists had increased because a bad influenza season created bed block and caused cancellation of operations.

The Turnbull Government paid nearly $40 million over the three years from 2014-15 to 2016-17 to reduce elective sur- gery waiting lists in Tasmania.

Labor Health spokeswoman Catherine King said the $30 million promised by Labor on Sunday would provide for 3000 elective surgeries around Tasmania including 1000 at the Launceston General Hospital.

But Mr Ferguson said the Labor promise was $10 million less than one made before the 2016 election and relied on a Labor victory at the next federal election.

‘The fact is that the Liberals have delivered record low waiting lists and waiting times for elective surgery with 5385 in June 2017 compared with 8500 when Labor left office in June 2014,” he said.

Labor leader Rebecca White said state Labor had committed $75 million to improve outpatient waiting times in its $560 million health policy.

‘There are 30,000 patients in Tasmania waiting for an appointment right now, our ability to invest in that service will provide an extra 15,000 appointments for those people to halve the outpatient waiting list,” she said.