Thursday, 10 December 2020

Elective surgery waiting lists

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:08): My question is to the Minister for Health. Daryl had a bowel operation in February 2019. He was readmitted to hospital because of severe post-operative complications which required extensive treatment for infection and wound breakdown. As a result, he requires further surgery for a 12-centimetre hernia, and he experiences severe pain when the cartilage between his ribs cracks. Daryl has been on a surgery waitlist for 20 months to have this large hernia repaired. Minister, how is it fair that Daryl has had to wait so long for this vital surgery?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:09): I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question. As the Leader of the Opposition will be aware, in the budget that the honourable Treasurer recently handed down there was a significant contribution in that budget towards dealing with the deferred care issues that have resulted as a consequence of the global pandemic and its implications for our health system, which as part of the restricted activity directions from the chief health officer saw elective surgery in both the public and private sector put on hold for a period of time.

We know that that caused significant distress for a large number of people right across the state. We know that that is going to take a period of time and a concentrated effort by the public and private systems, working in close cooperation with our health professionals and with all of the groups involved in our health system, to address. This government is committed to addressing that issue. And in regard to particularly how the category 2 waitlist, which I am assuming is the reference in this particular case, is dealt with, that is a particular priority. I do note, however, that in regard to category 1 surgery waiting times, pre pandemic the average waiting time was 10 days. Today the average waiting time is 10 days, and I think that is a substantial record of achievement—

Mr M O’Brien: On a point of order, Speaker, my question asked the minister: how is it fair that Daryl, who has been waiting 20 months for his surgery—well before the pandemic—has had to wait so long? I would ask the minister to address that aspect of the question.

The SPEAKER: Order! The minister has been relevant to the question.

Mr FOLEY: As I was indicating, this government’s commitment to addressing category 1, category 2 and indeed category 3 waiting times is backed up by $300 million of new investment, and that comes on top of billions of dollars of substantive investment into our public health system. We are working with all of the practitioners, all of the colleges and all of our health services, including the private health services, to make sure that that substantial effort in addressing that backlog is dealt with as soon as possible, and that is the position that we will take into the coming months. I look forward to in the very near future releasing the details of how that blitz will apply in a really practical sense to make a direct impact on those category 2 and particularly category 3 waiting lists.

Mr M O’BRIEN (Malvern—Leader of the Opposition) (14:12): Daryl received a letter from the Alfred on 6 November, at a time when Victorian COVID case numbers were zero, advising that only outpatient appointments were being taken and that he had been assessed as ‘not requiring urgent care’. Notwithstanding the pain of a large hernia that he has been waiting for for 20 months, Minister, when will specialist—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Minister for Police and Emergency Services! The Leader of the Opposition has the call.

A member interjected.

Mr M O’BRIEN: ‘Dr O’Brien’—is that what you have to say to Daryl? Twenty months on a waitlist, and you give me this snark of ‘Dr O’Brien’ across the chamber—

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition will ask his question.

Members interjecting.

Mr M O’BRIEN: Poor me? No, poor Daryl. Poor Daryl, Premier. That is what I am concerned about: poor Daryl. You could not give a rat’s about Daryl. You could not give a rat’s.

Members interjecting.

The SPEAKER: Order! The Leader of the Opposition on a question.

Mr M O’BRIEN: Minister, when will specialist outpatient appointments be available so that the tens of thousands of Victorians on those lists can be seen?

Mr FOLEY (Albert Park—Minister for Health, Minister for Ambulance Services, Minister for Equality) (14:14): These decisions—these very important decisions—are made by clinicians. They are not made by politicians. These decisions, at whatever time during the global pandemic in a year the likes of which our health systems have not seen in 100 years, are made by the people on the front line, the clinical experts who are dealing with the resources and the opportunities they have—and can I say $300 million more resources than they had a few weeks ago—to deal precisely with these issues. My undertaking to everyone on those category 2 waitlists is that there will be an unprecedented blitz to address these issues, and all Victorians can have confidence that they are partners in the best health system in this country, headed by clinicians, not politicians.