Cairns plastic surgeon to start within weeks

A NORWEGIAN specialist recruited to Cairns Hospital to help reduce the waiting list for plastic surgery is expected to start work within the next three weeks.

Dr Christian Sorensen, who was initially supposed to join the Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service late last year, will begin duties at the end of this month.

The new plastic surgeon has been heralded as one solution to the long delays facing women awaiting breast reconstructive surgery through the public system.

Some women claim they have been waiting for as long as 10 years.

The latest CHHHS figures show there is currently 26 patients on the plastic surgery wait list requiring breast reconstruction procedures.

Dr Don Martin, the health service’s acting executive director of medical services, said the service was committed to ensuring women who have had a mastectomy had access to breast reconstruction surgery as part of their overall treatment.

“Breast reconstruction post-mastectomy is a speciality treatment area and requires multiple, often lengthy surgeries which may need to be scheduled over time,” he said.

“As well as performing breast reconstruction surgery, the Cairn Hospital plastic and reconstructive surgeons treat a large volume of invasive skin cancers, melanoma and trauma patients, who require urgent surgery function.

“Dr Sorensen will provide additional capacity to the plastic and reconstruction team so he can work towards meeting the needs of our community in this speciality.”

Breast Cancer Network Australia programs and services director Kirsten Pilatti said given the number of women still on the waiting list, it did not appear much had changed in the past few months.

“Once the (plastic and reconstruction team) staffing is to restore resolved at the end of this month, it is vital that those 26 women be considered as a priority,” she said.

“I think the really other important part for us is, the other women who haven’t been put on the waiting list but want a reconstruction, we are really keen for them to be supported.

“It’s unclear to us how those women are being supported.”

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