Tony RyallTuesday 06 September 2011, 3:24PM
Media release from health minister Tony Ryall
A record 145,414 patients received elective surgery in the year
ended July 2011 says Health Minister Tony Ryall.
Elective surgery operations include hip and other joint
operations, cataracts and grommets amongst other important life
improving surgeries.
"This means an extraordinary extra 27,000 patients a year are
now benefiting from elective surgery compared with the numbers
treated under the previous Government", Mr Ryall says.
"Over the term of this Government, around 60,000 more elective
operations have been delivered over the three years. This has
included:
·Over 23,000 more operations for persons aged over 65.
·An extra 7,400 orthopaedic operations.
·An extra 4,900 ear nose and throat operations.
·An extra 12,400 General Surgeries, which includes operations
such as skin cancer removals and breast surgery.
·An extra 3,100 operations for children nine years and
under.
·An extra 31 operations for people aged over 100 years.
Mr Ryall says, "The most common surgery for the centenarians was
for skin lesion removal and cataracts."
This has been delivered as part of the $1.5 billion investment
of new money the Government has invested in the public health
service over the last three years.
"My thanks go to the many committed health professionals around
the country who have delivered the thousands of extra operations,
and made a real difference to so many patients' lives," Mr Ryall
says.