Surgery wait down

ELECTIVE surgery waiting lists have been slashed at Dandenong Hospital.
The State Government’s latest Your Hospitals report shows that across three tiers of urgency, the Dandenong Hospital had this year reduced its waiting lists.
Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said 3025 people received operations between January and June 2006 – 120 more than in the previous six months.
According to the report’s figures, as of 30 June there were 29 Category One urgent patients – four fewer than the previous report – who waited no longer than one month for their elective surgery.
There were 836 Category Two semi-urgent patients in the latest figures, 594 fewer than the same time last year, and there were 535 Category Three non-urgent patients, 877 fewer than the previous year.
The time taken to treat patients presenting to the emergency department has also decreased at the hospital, according to the report.
Across the state, the report listed 36,454 people as being on elective surgery waiting lists.
Ms Pike said at least half those people were expected to have received surgery since June.