Brisbane man Mal Gregory has been on the waiting list for hip surgery for five weeks.
But in reality, the waiting time for his elective surgery was much longer. It took him two years to see a hip specialist after his initial consultation with a doctor, he says.
“I don’t know when they looked at the stats and whether it was quarantined, but it took about two years and nine months from when I expressed my concerns to when I had my first surgery,” Gregory said. told SBS News.
He said the wait had worsened his mental health.
“Basically, it was personal hell,” he said.
“I feel like my whole life has been put in neutral for two years. I struggled to do my best at work.
“I am a very empathetic and understanding person. There are probably more people out there in pain and despair.”
Gregory’s experience is shared by thousands of people in the public health system, according to the Australian Medical Association (AMA), the union representing Australian doctors.
“These hidden figures are a scandal”
Elective surgery patients wait up to several years on a “hidden” waiting list to see a specialist at a hospital’s outpatient clinic.
“The delay from seeing a GP and being referred to actually getting an appointment can take years in many conditions. And if you can’t see, it often means you can’t work or drive,” AMA President Professor Steve Robson said Friday.
Elective surgery patients can be seen by specialists in public hospital outpatient clinics or private clinics. Here, you usually have to pay out-of-pocket before being placed on the waiting list for elective surgery.
There are no reliable national data on how long it takes patients to see specialists in outpatient clinics, but it can take years, said Professor Robson.
“These hidden numbers are scandals that affect hundreds and thousands of patients, and meanwhile already bogged down, including general practice, which has to deal with the pressure of caring for so many patients. It will affect the health care system that is in place,” he said.
“Elective surgery wait times are reported nationally each year, but these figures do not reflect the time spent waiting to see specialists in outpatient clinics.”
Australian Medical Association AMA President Professor Steve Robson at a press conference at the Houses of Parliament in Canberra on 1 September 2022. sauce: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Public hospital outpatient appointments are scheduled by urgency.
We recommend seeing a specialist within 30 days for most urgent patients and within 365 days for less urgent patients.
The limited data available indicates that many states are falling short of their performance targets, according to an AMA report released on Friday.
Patients needing urgent neurosurgeon appointments can wait up to 930 days in Victoria, and for ear, nose and throat appointments wait times can be 1,400 days or more.
Victoria’s Health Minister Mary Ann Thomas acknowledged that long wait times were very distressing for patients, but said the problem was not unique to the state.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an incredible impact on our medical services and the ability of our medical professionals to provide the care people need and expect,” she told reporters. .
In Queensland, there is a wait of nearly 700 days for an ENT appointment and over 150 days for an emergency gastroenterology or rheumatology appointment.
In Queensland, about 250,000 patients were waiting for appointments at hospital outpatient clinics, Prof Robson said.
Patients waiting to see a specialist and be placed on the official surgery waiting list often develop other health problems in the meantime, increasing the cost of the system.
“The only way to improve our hospital system is to make the number of people waiting for treatment completely transparent. ” added Professor Robson.
Patients who ultimately receive emergency care
The AMA was unable to pinpoint the exact number of patients on the hidden waiting list, but said thousands of patients fell ill while waiting and ended up receiving urgent care. I’m here.
Principal Dr Sarah Whitelaw said, “We see it in the emergency department every day.
She said this was an issue that needed to be addressed years ago.
“These numbers were incredibly high pre-COVID. To say this is just a COVID issue, or just because of the pandemic, is simply not true. Waiting lists have been a problem for many years, The AMA has been around for years.These hidden waiting lists will be reported and released.”
The public hospital funding model will be a major focus of the federal government’s October budget.
Speaking on Friday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government would continue to work on ways to achieve better health outcomes.
“From my point of view, it’s never about the money, it’s about definitely improving health for the benefit of the people,” he said.
But for patients like Mr. Gregory, time has already been lost.
“I really don’t wish that on anyone else, and I definitely sympathize with anyone in the same situation.
“My family, friends and work colleagues have helped me, and I definitely feel better now and look forward to the future.”
Use AAP
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/it-was-a-personal-hell-elective-surgery-patients-suffering-through-years-long-hidden-waiting-lists/7p3ygqj9z Elective surgery patients suffering from years of ‘hidden’ waiting list
