Elective surgery wait times have blown out to a year or more

An insurance advisor from Wagga Wagga in NSW, Ruben Bennett, tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) playing Aussie Rules.

The following week, sitting in a doctors' office, she was told she'd have to wait a year or more for surgery.

"I heard what he said, and I was instantly devastated," Ms Bennett said.

"I expected in the public health system six months, but to hear a year was really rough. I was distraught and I did not expect it at all."

Ms Bennett was told her only other option was to pay for the surgery that would cost roughly $10,000.

"The likelihood of me re-injuring my knee is over 50 per cent," Ms Bennett said.

"So paying for the surgery would be a massive waste if I just end up reinjuring it.

"Not a lot of people have $10,000 lying around but I guess I'm fortunate because I am still able to work while I have the injury," she said.

"Whereas, somebody I know has done their ACL and they're a plumber so they are out of work until they can get their surgery."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Ms Bennett isn't the only Australian on the wait list.

In a survey of 1059 people by comparison website Finder 20 per cent said they had to wait for surgery because they didn't have private health insurance.

Of those, 35 per cent had waited a year or more for surgery with 18 per cent on the waiting list for more than two years.

Health insurance expert at Finder, Tim Bennett, said the statistics showed a public health system, particularly in regional areas, dealing with more than it could handle.

"The public healthcare system simply needs more of everything," he said.

"More surgeons, more resources, more operating capacity.

"The other part of it is a temporary issue; a lot of people need elective surgeries that they put off because of the lingering effects of the COVID pandemic.

"That stopped a lot of people from getting their elective surgeries, which means in putting it off, their conditions have gotten worse, and they now need elective surgery whereas in the past it may not have been as urgent."

Mr Bennett said waiting times had been getting progressively worse for at least the past five years.

"I think it is a fair point to say that the current arrangement, particularly in regional areas, is not serving the needs of public hospital patients."