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All elective surgery matters, says AMA Victoria
11 October 2007
AMA Victoria is disappointed by Health Minister Daniel Andrews’ statement in Parliament yesterday that the government “will continue to invest in the elective surgery that matters”.
“I would like to know what elective surgery does not matter to Mr Andrews,” AMA Victoria President Dr Doug Travis said.
The State Government’s Your Hospitals report, released last week, reveals 3,000 fewer elective surgery operations were performed in 2006/2007 than the previous year. Non-urgent elective surgery in January to June 2007 dropped 15 per cent from the previous year.
“The government continues to cut elective surgery; is it because the Minister believes that some elective surgery does not matter?” asked Dr Travis.
“I would hate the government to move to a position such as in New Zealand where some people with non-urgent conditions are refused treatment.
“All elective surgery matters and all elective surgery needs to be funded.
“It makes sense that people with higher needs are priorities for surgery, but people who are lower down on the list are not to be ignored; they are often experiencing a lower quality of life in these long waits for surgery, particularly when we’re talking about reduced mobility and pain.”
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