Questions without notice and ministers statements
Elective surgery
Mr GUY (Bulleen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:02): My question is to the Minister for Health. Josiah is 16 years old. He has a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness and skeletal abnormalities. His scoliosis over the past few years has worsened, and he has been on the waitlist for nearly three years for spinal surgery. Due to lockdowns and cancellation of surgery his condition has deteriorated so significantly he now requires surgery on his upper back as well. He is in ongoing pain, and his family is desperate. They are being told the ongoing delays will result in him not being able to get out of his wheelchair. Minister, Josiah’s mum and dad are today here in the gallery. It is heartbreaking for them to watch their son’s condition deteriorate so quickly due to lack of surgery. Minister, what does the government have to say to this family?
Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:03): Can I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question, and can I indicate to members that for anyone in Victoria whose families and family members are on the elective surgery waiting list—which is in many ways a misnomer, because of course all surgery is important—that the increases that we have seen in Victoria, in Australia and indeed around the world in surgery waiting lists as a result of the global pandemic are hugely regrettable and have caused significant discomfort and inconvenience and pain and suffering to many, many people. I am sure I join with all honourable members of Parliament to indicate to any family who is in that situation that every effort is being made to address those significant issues as quickly as we possibly can.
In regard to those measures that were formally in place during the course of particularly the omicron variant’s huge impact on our public health system and indeed our private health system, it is important to note that those restrictions were acted on on the advice of our public health officials to keep our public hospitals and our private hospitals open as safely as they possibly could be to address the very large numbers—thousands—of people who were on clinical advice seeking that higher support, whether it be care for the omicron variant’s impact on those families.
We thank all of those clinicians, particularly in the partnership between the public and private sectors in that regard, who came together to address those huge spikes in demand. As a result of all of that what we have seen now is the lifting of those public pandemic restrictions, which has seen a return to 100 per cent delivery of elective surgery right across the private sector and a return to delivery of public sector conditions in surgery as well. But of course there is a backlog, and what we are doing is working through all of those arrangements in partnership with the commonwealth. I want to thank the commonwealth for its 50-50 contribution when it comes to the public-private partnership payments that are in place. Can I use this opportunity to implore the commonwealth to continue that partnership beyond 30 June and perhaps to use this coming Friday’s national cabinet decisions to cement those arrangements.
Mr GUY (Bulleen—Leader of the Opposition) (14:06): Josiah has been remarkable in managing his condition. Like so many kids he has missed out on months of school over the past two years and the vital support of his friends as a result of lockdowns. Josiah was told last Monday by his surgeon that he cannot be provided a date for surgery. Minister, can you tell Josiah and his family what support is being provided to him and kids like him who have suffered so much over the past two years as a result of restrictions and surgery bans?
Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:07): Can I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his supplementary question. Whilst I am not privy to the particulars of individual clinical cases, I am sure that the clinical case and the support for every single Victorian who is facing these arrangements is at the forefront of both those families and their clinical providers’ care. I want to thank all of our surgeons and all of our public and private hospital partners in this for how they go about looking at the changed clinical conditions, which sometimes sadly do deteriorate whilst people are on those waiting lists, and the support that they bring, whether it be for the scheduling of surgery or indeed the social, mental health and other supports that people need whilst they are on those lists. It would not be appropriate, nor would I think honourable members expect any of us, to have that advice other than ‘follow clinical support’. It is critical.