Labor promises money to reduce elective surgery waiting lists, bowel cancer detection

Labor is promising to slash elective surgery waiting lists and increase funding for early detection of bowel cancer.

Labor is promising to slash elective surgery waiting lists and increase funding for early detection of bowel cancer.

Health will again be at the forefront of the Opposition’s campaigning today as the party’s deputy leader, Tanya Plibersek, visits Adelaide.

Labor will announce $16 million to reduce waiting times for South Australians needing surgery including knee, hip and cataract operations in public hospitals.

Last year, 85 per cent of South Australians who needed elective surgery were seen on time. However, Labor’s figures show that SA patients who needed elective surgery within 90 days but were not treated, had additional wait times of 112 days, the worst in the nation except for the Northern Territory.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said Labor would dedicate $250 million to blitz elective surgery waiting lists in public hospitals nationwide as part of its $2.8 billion Better Hospitals Fund.

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek with leader Bill Shorten. Picture: Vince Caligiuri / Getty

“Australians stuck on hospital waiting lists will get the essential surgery they need faster with a Shorten Labor Government,” Mr Shorten said.

Raising awareness about Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, bowel cancer, will be the focus of a $10 million Labor pledge to increase national screening test rates.

The commitment will fund a national awareness campaign, led by South Australian bowel cancer charity the Jodi Lee Foundation, about the importance of people turning 50 having tests.

Jodi Lee Foundation chairman Nick Lee said only 41 per cent of people who received the free home test kit completed the screening.

“The biggest challenge with 50-year-olds is they just don’t think they are at that age where they need to be taking a screening test, particularly males,” Mr Lee said.

“If you can educate early enough, when they do receive the testing kit when they turn 50 they are much more likely to take the test.”

Ms Plibersek said the goal was to increase participation up to 60 per cent, which could improve bowel cancer survival rates by almost 40 per cent.

“Screening and early detection still give people the best chance of staying cancer free. But bowel cancer screening rates in Australia are still too low,” Ms Plibersek said.

A Labor spokesman said its pledge — part of its $2.3 billion cancer plan — was in addition to a $10 million Federal Government investment announced in January for a national bowel cancer awareness campaign by Cancer Council Australia.

Ms Plibersek will campaign today with Labor candidates in the crucial Adelaide seats of Boothby and Sturt.