UPDATE: Victoria’s ambitious $1 billion COVID catch-up plan for elective surgeries has dramatically missed its targets, raising urgent questions about its effectiveness. The latest report from the Auditor-General’s Office, tabled in state parliament, reveals that the program delivered 30,000 fewer procedures than anticipated, leaving many patients in limbo.
According to the Auditor-General’s findings, only 209,925 elective procedures were performed from July 2022, falling short of the 240,000 target. This significant shortfall can be attributed to complications between the Health Department and private hospitals, which were supposed to facilitate additional public surgeries. As of May 2023, there were still 583 long-wait patients on the surgery list, awaiting overdue operations since March 2022.
The report highlighted that private hospitals struggled with their own backlogs, while also demanding high costs for public-private partnerships. Some health services indicated that the models used to set these targets were fundamentally flawed, leading to further complications.
Despite the challenges, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas emphasized that the plan increased the number of surgeries and reduced the waiting list. She stated, “Our dedicated healthcare workers delivered a record 212,000 surgeries – the most in Victoria’s history.” However, the Auditor-General’s report noted that while 83% of patients were treated within clinically approved timelines, this still fell short of the 95% target.
The catch-up program, which ran from April 2022 to June 2023, not only aimed to address the backlog but also introduced 12 rapid access hubs for low-risk surgeries. Yet, the report found the impact of these hubs on the overall system remains unclear, prompting essential questions about their future effectiveness.
Overall, the program came in $356.4 million under budget, largely due to a lower-than-expected number of partnerships with private hospitals. In response to the audit, the Health Department accepted recommendations to improve monitoring of public surgeries.
Critics, including Coalition health spokeswoman Georgie Crozier, have labeled the findings a “damning report” that exposes a lack of transparency regarding surgery wait times. “Victorians deserve a government that puts patients first, not more political spin,” Crozier stated.
Looking ahead, the Alan government has scaled back its surgery target for the 2024-25 budget to 200,000 procedures, reverting to pre-pandemic levels. This raises concerns about the ongoing capability of the health system to meet patient demand.
As the situation develops, stakeholders will closely monitor how the government responds to the Auditor-General’s findings and whether effective solutions can be implemented to restore patient trust in the elective surgery system. The urgency for reform has never been greater, with many patients still awaiting critical care.
