Patients wait up to three years for elective surgeries at Royal Darwin Hospital
Some patients are waiting for surgery at the Royal Darwin Hospital for up to three years, in the latest sign the Territory’s health system is at breaking point.
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
PATIENTS are waiting up to three years for some elective surgeries at the Royal Darwin Hospital as the Territory’s health system struggles to keep up with demand.
According to figures published in parliament, approximately 75 per cent of elective surgeries at the Royal Darwin Hospital have been cancelled or rescheduled between January 1 and November 24 this year.
The wait times for category one, two and three surgeries have ballooned to between one and three months, six and nine months and two and three years respectively.
Category one surgeries are meant to be seen within a month, category two within 90 days and category three within a year.
Figures obtained by the NT News show 35 surgeries were deferred because of the four Code Yellows declared at the Royal Darwin so far in 2021.
It’s led the Opposition’s Health spokesman Bill Yan to brand his government counterpart Natasha Fyles as “clearly overwhelmed”.
“RDH has suffered four Code Yellow bed blocks in less than 12 months, which means the hospital is operating at 140 per cent capacity and nurses are being forced to regularly work 18 hours shifts,” Mr Yan said.
“The fact 75 per cent of elective surgeries were either cancelled or rescheduled at Royal Darwin Hospital since the beginning to the year is shameful.” Mr Yan called on the government to return the Howard Springs quarantine camp to federal hands to free up nursing staff.
Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley expressed concern the lack of capacity in the hospital system left the Territory vulnerable to Covid-19.
“The Gunner government have been in power for 17 of the last 20 years, it is entirely their fault they have squandered all our public money on frivolous things we don’t need at the expense of adequate health services,” Ms Lambley said.
Among those waiting for surgery is Millner resident Mark Roberts, 58, who has had his wrist surgery postponed three times.
Mr Roberts said he was forced to cough up for private health cover because the surgery he needed to fix crippling pain on his left wrist couldn’t be offered through the Royal Darwin Hospital.
“I had a similar procedure done 20 years ago – a total wrist reconstruction (on my right hand) – and I was in hospital within three days,” he said.
Mr Roberts said his injury had made working as a disability carer more difficult.
“Simple things like riding a bike is just hard, because I can’t hold for too long. Even picking up a pipe or hammer in my left hand is very difficult.”
Mr Roberts said he was apprehensive to get surgery interstate due to the Covid pandemic.
He said he had also had not received a call back from NT Health for a glaucoma procedure in over three years.
In response to questions from the NT News on the new figures, Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the government was “investing more than any previous government to boost health services to Territorians.
Ms Fyles did not address the figures directly, nor whether she felt responsible for the poor performance of NT Health.
“We are working hard to fill staffing shortages in critical nursing areas including emergency, perioperative and psychiatry fields,” she said.
“In addition, significant projects and infrastructure upgrades are currently underway to bolster mental health services in the Territory.”
The latest figures follow a damning annual report released in late November, which showed the Top End’s health system was failing at key benchmarks, including surgery wait times.
The Top End Health Service reported two ‘sentinel events’ in 2020-21, leading to severe injury or death.
More Coverage
Originally published as Patients wait up to three years for elective surgeries at Royal Darwin Hospital
Join the conversation
Mental health flags for woman who allegedly stabbed three people on bus
A young woman who allegedly stabbed three people with scissors amid a mental health crisis could be locked up in the hospital, rather than a prison cell, amid urgent local court battle.
Read more
Serious fire which threatened Alice Springs suburb ‘under investigation’
Authorities say a grass fire which threatened residents and homes in an Alice Springs suburb is now ‘under investigation’. Read the latest.
Read more