Wagga MLHD health officials clearing elective surgery backlog after COVID freeze

MLHD medical services director Len Bruce said the region's public health officials have reduced the number of patients overdue for elective surgery by 32 per cent since June, with about 220 people currently overdue.

Figures released this week by the Bureau of Health Information show 2198 elective surgeries were performed in the Murrumbidgee between July and September, an increase of 4.9 per cent compared with the same period last year.

"It's always nice to know that we're beating the state average of 4.2 per cent ... which is actually a tremendous achievement for a rural local health district, because we'd have fewer resources, fewer hospitals and fewer private facilities that can contribute," Dr Bruce said.

BHI chief executive Diane Watson said more elective surgical procedures were performed across NSW in the most recent quarter than in any quarter over the past five years.

However, more than 95,000 people across the state are still waiting for elective surgery as public hospitals try to catch up on a backlog of patients following the federal government's temporary embargo on non-urgent procedures.

In March, an Australia-wide freeze was placed on some elective procedures in order to free up hospital beds for an influx of COVID-19 patients, which in Wagga's case never arrived.

In June, MLHD chief executive Jill Ludford said Murrumbidgee health services would seek to "completely remove" the region's backlog of patients overdue for elective surgery by the end of the year.

Between June and September 79.9 per cent of all elective surgical procedures were performed on time in the Murrumbidgee, a drop from 96.5 per cent in the same quarter in 2019.

Dr Bruce said this was largely attributable to the non-urgent elective surgery backlog.

Almost 100 per cent of urgent elective surgeries, such as cancer removals, were performed on time in the Murrumbidgee, but this is partly attributable to the MLHD purchasing elective surgery from private facilities including Wagga's Calvary Hospital.

At the end of November, 3608 people were waiting for elective surgery in the Murrumbidgee's public facilities, an increase of 258 compared with November in 2019.

But there were slightly fewer "urgent" patients waiting for their procedures at the end of November this year.

Dr Bruce also thanked the community for its support during a difficult year.