WAITING times for surgery are under scrutiny with the opposition slamming the backlog of patients currently on hold in Victoria.
Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland said that despite record health spending and repeated promises from the government, the state's health system performance continued to worsen.
She said there were currently over 60,000 people waiting for surgery.
“Too many Victorians are waiting too long for to be cared for, particularly in regional areas,” Ms Cleeland said.
“Every single person on these waiting lists has a story to tell about deferred care and unnecessary time waiting in agony for life-changing surgery."
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Data released by the Victorian Agency for Health Information (VAHI) last month revealed that Victorians continued to face increasing wait times for planned surgeries and emergency treatment:
* Median wait time for Category 2 surgeries has risen to 62 days (up from 54 days), with over 7,150 patients missing treatment within the recommended timeframe.
* Category 3 surgeries now have a median wait of 119 days (up from 102 days), affecting more than 1,320 patients.
* Overall, wait times for planned surgeries jumped 18 per cent in the last quarter.
Ms Cleeland has launched an online survey for people across the region to share their experiences on surgery waitlists.
She said the survey would allow people to share just how impactful these delays had been on their lives.
"This survey is an important step to ensure their voices are heard and urgent action is taken to fix our health system," she said.
“The Victorian public hospital system is broken, and Victorians are not able to get the care they need when they need it most."
The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/euroa-waitlist-survey
