Wednesday, 14 August 2024

 Gaelle BROAD (Northern Victoria) (18:50): (1052) Our regional hospitals are under significant pressure with staff shortages, long surgery waitlists and a big gap in the life expectancy of city and country residents. I would like to draw the Minister for Health’s attention to the value of investing in the latest robotic technology to deliver more critical surgeries in Northern Victoria and reduce long waiting lists. Today surgeons are trained on robotic machines because they offer superior precision and control. Patient outcomes are better – they recover quicker and they spend less time in hospital – which frees up space for more surgeries to be performed. Robot-assisted surgery helps reduce the pressure on our hospital system because patients have shorter hospital stays. Other benefits over traditional surgery include a quicker return to normal activity, reduced blood loss, less scarring and reduced surgical complications.

In Victoria this robotic technology is used at hospitals in Melbourne, Geelong and Ballarat, but there is none in Bendigo or anywhere in Northern Victoria, a region that covers over 100,000 square kilometres and nearly half of the state. I commend the work of St John of God hospital in Bendigo. They are seeking to purchase a refurbished robotic machine for $2 million and have already raised over $1 million through the generous support of donors. One machine can support 1000 surgeries each year and would help reduce the long surgery waitlists and the time a patient spends in hospital. It would also help attract more specialists to work in regional Victoria and improve patient outcomes.

Over the last decade surgery waitlists have blown out to record levels. The action I seek is for the minister to ensure that this latest technology is accessible to residents of Northern Victoria and to consider how private and public hospitals can partner together to help reduce surgery waiting lists.