Australians Waiting Twice as Long for Elective Surgery

Published on April 19, 2024

Australians undergoing elective surgery, or planned surgery, are now waiting twice as long as they did 20 years ago as emergency departments continue to grapple with the logjam in emergency departments. For instance, the median wait time for elective surgery has reached a record high of 49 days, up from 27 days in 2001-2002, according to the Australian Medical Association’s (AMA) public hospital report card (pdf) published on April 19. The report also reveals a concerning trend in timely access to category two planned surgeries, including critical procedures such as heart valve replacements, congenital cardiac defects, curettage nerve decompression, and surgery for fractures, which have fallen 23 percent over five years, reaching their lowest level on record....

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