MLHD BENEFITS FROM FUNDING FOR MORE ELECTIVE PROCEDURES

7 March, 2018

Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke today announced that more people in Murrumbidgee Local Health District (MLHD) will now have quicker access to elective surgery, thanks to a $3 million injection from the State Government.

“This will mean that more people will get quicker access to common elective surgeries like hip and knee replacements and cataract removals,” Ms Cooke said.

“In September 2017, the Minister for Health, Brad Hazzard announced an injection of an extra $3 million to so people can have surgery performed earlier.

“I am delighted that Murrumbidgee’s bid was successful, and will receive $128,000 to do more cataract procedures,” she said. 

According to recent BHI reports, the number of elective surgeries being performed on time in the MLHD region has increased under the NSW Government.

LHD	July – Sept 2017	July – Sept 2010
MLHD	99.7%	82.8%

“This funding boost will make a big difference to a lot of people’s lives, allowing them to get their elective surgeries quicker and let them get on with their lives with improved eyesight,” Ms Cooke said.

NSW has the best on-time elective surgery performance in the country.

The number of elective surgeries delivered by NSW Health increased by 5000 in 2016/17.

Despite this, improvements to efficiency were made with more surgery performed on time and waiting times reduced across a number of categories.

 “While the average waiting time in NSW for these common procedures is generally met, this extra funding will mean people will have even quicker access,” Ms Cooke said.