Page 2115 - Week 07 - Tuesday, 28 May 1991

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MINISTER FOR HEALTH, EDUCATION AND THE ARTS

LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY QUESTION

QUESTION NO 416

Hospitals - Waiting Lists

MR BERRY Asked the Minister for Health, Education and the Arts

on notice on 18 April 1991:

(1) What are the current numbers on waiting lists (by specialty) for people waiting for surgery in ACT hospitals for the month of Ma=ch 1991.

(2) Will the Minister provide the information requested as a matter of urgency in order that the people of the ACT can be informed of the state of hospital services.

MR HUMPHRIES The answers to Mr Berrys questions are:

(1) Assuming the question refers to booking lists (which do not have a direct relationship to length of time waiting or clinical need) the March figures are as follows:

BOOKING LISTS FOR ELECTIVE SURGERY

ROYAL CANBERRA AND CALVARY HOSPITALS

March 1991

Orthopaedic 321

Ear, Nose and Throat 158

Gynaecology 270

Urology 95

Plastic Surgery 231

Paediatric Surgery 72

Ophthalmology 114

Neurosugery 92

General Surgery 216

Thoracic/Vascular -

Thoracic -

Vascular 61

Oral/Dental -

Dental 89

Faclo-Maxiliary 83

Sub Total 1802

(2) Booking lists are widely accepted as an extremely poor indicator of the "state" of hospital services which are nowadays measured by procedures and their complexity rather than appointment times. The numbers on the lists are more useful for scaremongering than a rational evaluation of performance.

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