The health service said all its major hospitals are performing well despite growing emergency department attendance numbers.

Treatment for potentially life threatening conditions has also improved greatly at the Dubbo, Broken Hill, Bathurst and Orange hospitals, according to GWAHS clinical operations director Jenny Coutts.

“When you consider there has been increases in emergency department attendances at Dubbo, Bathurst and Orange of between 2.2 per cent and 7.6 per cent we are on track in terms of improving our performance targets,” Ms Coutts said.

The number of patients waiting more than 12 months for elective surgery at Dubbo Base has decreased by 50 per cent.

Yesterday opposition health spokesperson Jillian Skinner slammed NSW Health Minister Reba Meagher for what she said were sky-rocketing surgical waiting lists.

She said the waiting list for NSW public hospitals was at a three-year high. Almost 59,000 people are currently awaiting surgery, she said.

“Since Reba Meagher became health minister, 55 people have joined the public hospital waiting list every week,” Ms Skinner said.

She said the situation would worsen if Prime Minister Kevin Rudd raised the Medicare levy surcharge threshold in today’s Federal Budget.

The Rudd Government said the Budget would double the income threshold at which singles without private health cover, must pay the surcharge - from $50,000 to $100,000 - while the threshold for couples will rise from $100,000 to $150,000.

Ms Skinner estimated about 140,000 people in NSW would opt out of private health cover under the new Budget.

Those people would be reliant on a public health system already trying to cope with current demand, she said.