At Christmas 1475 names were on the waiting list for elective surgery at Dubbo Hospital that continues to get most patients into theatre on time.
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The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) quarterly report for October to December 2017 reveals that 98.8 per cent of patients across urgent, semi-urgent and non-urgent categories received surgery on time.
One hundred per cent of patients in the urgent category underwent surgery within the recommended 30 days, 98.4 per cent in the semi-urgent category within 90 days, and 98.5 per cent in the non-urgent category in 365 days.
The average wait for surgery in the urgent category was 17 days, in the semi-urgent category 49 days and the non-urgent category 281 days.
Across October, November and December a total of 884 procedures were performed in the theatres in the hospital’s Talbragar Building, constructed under the $91.3 stage one and two redevelopment of the hospital.
At the same time the waiting list of patients needing surgery grew from 1459 to 1475, with 292 deemed “not ready” for it. More than 91 per cent of them, or 1346 patients, were in the non-urgent category. Patients who were ready for “surgery by speciality” included 409 on the orthopaedic list and 334 on the ear, nose and throat list. Patients waiting for “surgery by procedure” included 289 lined up for cataract extractions, 104 for knee replacements and 51 for total hip replacements.
In the October to December 2017 quarter 79 patients had cataract surgery after waiting an average 322 days. Corresponding figures for knee and hip replacements were 26 patients and 271 days, and 16 patients and 278 days.
The Western NSW Local Health District reports of being among six health districts sharing $3 million in state government funding aimed at boosting “cataract removal, hip and knee replacement procedures”. “Dubbo Hospital will benefit from a $976,231 investment to undertake additional hip and knee replacements and cataract removal surgery,” a Western NSW Local Health District spokesman said on Wednesday.
“This money will allow Dubbo Hospital to perform more than 40 additional hip and knee surgeries and 60 additional cataract extraction procedures. This money will reduce waiting times for these types of surgery at Dubbo Hospital.”
