Hon Tony Ryall
Minister of Health
6 September 2011
Media Statement

Record numbers for elective surgery

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.

ENDS

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