The Liberal Government is committed to reducing the amount of time that Tasmanians have to wait for elective surgery. Today, eleven extra patients received surgery under a program of weekend elective surgery.
Among the procedures performed were hernia repairs, breast surgery and laparoscopies for investigation.
Weekend elective surgery lists have been scheduled over the next couple of months at the LGH targeting people who have been waiting the longest.
The latest DHHS dashboard also shows a halving in average excessive wait times for very long waiting non-urgent patients, a reduction of 195 days, with decreases at all Tasmanian hospitals.
In fact the Elective Surgery waiting list is at its lowest point over the last twelve months, with more than 300 fewer patients waiting that at the start of 2015.
The number of elective surgeries carried in 2015-16 to date out has increased eleven per cent or by or 1,180 procedures compared to the same period in 2014-15, with a focus on the longest waiting and children.
We will continue to roll out our extra $76 million investment in elective surgery, and the opening of two new theatres at the LGH as well as extra capacity at the RHH.
From July the Mersey Community Hospital will become a dedicated statewide elective surgery centre, which will assist even more Tasmanians to get their surgery sooner and help reduce surgery cancellation rates.
