An adelaide woman says her elective surgery has been cancelled four times in the past few months as SA Health data shows almost 25,000 people are waiting for elective surgeries across its public hospitals.
Monica Wohlstadt, who has blood cancer myeloma and has had her spinal surgery delayed multiple times since July, is one of more than 6,000 patients whose elective surgeries are overdue in south Australia.
Speaking at an SA opposition press conference, the 66-year-old said the past few months had been “a long, emotional rollercoaster”.
“Receiving that news when you’re home on your own has been emotional and destroying and so frustrating to get to this point,” she said.
“My health has declined along the way,my stability. Even though I’m 66, I feel like a 90-year-old.”
Ms Wohlstadt said her surgery at the Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) had been cancelled four times, including twice when it happened with less than two days’ notice.
On one occasion,she said she declined the operation because she did not want a different specialist to perform the surgery.
“To feel confident with a surgeon, I feel that I should at least meet him and for him to not just see paper records but to actually see me as a person,” she said.
Ms Wohlstadt said it “just isn’t good enough” and there had been a big toll on her physical and emotional health.
“It’s the lack of movement, it’s the headaches, it’s the creaking in my neck – it’s just difficult and painful,” she said.
The patient said she hoped her operation, now scheduled for December 10, might be “a Christmas present to have a better life”.
“I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’s going to sort things out and make things easier for me,” she said.
“There is a bit in the back of mind – could this happen again? A bit of doubt, but I’m a positive person and I just hope it won’t be cancelled again.”
Emma McCahon says more people are seeking care in the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
South Australia Faces Growing elective Surgery Waitlist Despite Increased Operations
South Australia is grappling with a rising number of patients waiting for elective surgeries, despite a significant increase in the volume of operations performed by the current state government. The issue was highlighted by patient advocate Ashton Hurn, who criticized discrepancies in waitlist figures reported by the previous and current administrations.
According to Hurn, the former Liberal government reported approximately 2,900 patients on the overdue list during its final year in office. Though, figures provided to ABC News by the current state government, which came to power in March 2022, indicated a waitlist of 4,200 patients at that time. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-21/sa-elective-surgery-waitlist-rising-despite-more-operations/103106992
“I know they are entitled to throw out figures to journalists and things like that, but that doesn’t speak to the human element that people are facing every single day, people like Monica are being left behind,” Ms. Hurn said, referencing the personal impact of lengthy wait times.
South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton acknowledged the growing pressure on the system. He announced the release of a detailed elective surgery strategy this week, which includes collaborating with private hospitals to increase capacity for surgeries and outpatient procedures. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-11-21/sa-elective-surgery-waitlist-rising-despite-more-operations/103106992
“We’re now performing 9,000 extra operations every year comparing to what we were doing three years ago,” minister Picton stated. However, he also conceded that the number of people joining the waiting list is exceeding the number of operations being conducted, necessitating further increases in surgical capacity.
“So, we’re going to have to increase that even more than what we’ve already done,” he added.
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