PATIENTS needing eye surgery at Armidale Rural Referral Hospital are facing a wait of more than 300 days, latest statistics from the NSW Government show.
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Those needing cataracts removed are also waiting an average 29 days more than similar patients in other state public hospitals.
The data was published yesterday by the Bureau of Health Information.
It compared waiting times of 80 public hospitals.
Armidale hospital was found to have a longer waiting time for ophthalmological procedures, such as cataract removals, than other comparative hospitals.
Between July and September, 89 patients had to wait 314 days for eye surgery, an average six days more than the same period last year.
Patients needing similar surgery at other, comparative hospitals waited an average 283 days for their procedure.
There was also a longer queue for the 64 patients in the quarter needing orthpaedic surgery, with the average waiting time 101 days, compared with 90 days in the same period last year.
Also, the number of patients in the district receiving urgent surgery within the recommended timeframe of 30 days fell from 100 per cent in the third quarter last year to 94 per cent this year.
Ninety nine per cent of patients needing semi-urgent surgery received treatment within the recommended 90 days.
The data showed across NSW, the percentage of patients who received elective surgery on time was unchanged at 97 per cent this quarter.
Almost all urgent and semi-urgent elective surgery was performed on time at other hospitals.
“This quarter, half of patients waited 32 weeks or more for non-urgent surgery, five days longer than the same time last year,” bureau chief executive Jean-Frederic Levesque said. yesterday.
“This quarter, half of patients waited 32 weeks or more for non-urgent surgery, which is five days longer than the same time last year.”
The report shows there were 56,500 elective surgeries performed across NSW, 3 per cent less than the same time last year. A decline in volumes of elective surgery was seen in all urgency categories.
Five years of detailed results for more than 80 public hospitals in NSW are available on BHI’s online interactive portal Healthcare Observer at