Elective Surgeries

Tony Ryall has announced:

“An extra 7,500 patients received elective surgery in the last 12 months, meaning 153,000 people got the operations they needed. This is the fourth year of record increases under National,” said Health Minister Tony Ryall.

“Since the change of government in 2008, thirty per cent more patients are getting elective surgery.

This is a pretty incredible achievement when you consider the fiscal environment.

It shows what you can achieve by having a more focused and efficient health system.

My only wish is Ryall goes further and defunds all the public health lobby groups which campaign for nanny state policies, and puts the money saved into elective surgery.

“In the last year the number of patients across the country waiting longer than six months has been reduced by eighty-five per cent from 5,700 to 840.

“This includes 690 patients on Canterbury DHB’s list which has been exempted from the target this year. Not counting Canterbury, this means that now only 150 patients who are booked to see a specialist or for surgery are waiting more than six months across the country at any one time.

So now only 150 people now waiting more than six months? What was the figure in 2008 I wonder?

“The challenge is now to lock in the goal of zero patients waiting over six months, and then bring the maximum waiting time down to five months by the end of June 2013,” Mr Ryall says.

No resting on the laurels.