NT Government axes heart surgery program after spending $1.2 million on special equipment

UPDATE: Heahlth Minister Natasha Fyles says the government decided to scrap its heart surgery program after spending millions of dollars developing it due to concerns it would not be financially sustainable

The NT Government has reportedly scrapped its cardiothoracic surgery program after spending over one million on specialised medical equipment. Picture: iStock

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HEALTH Minister Natasha Fyles says the government decided to scrap its heart surgery program after spending millions of dollars developing it due to concerns it would not be financially sustainable.

Currently, Territorians who need heart surgery have to fly interstate for treatment and Labor put $9 million towards establishing a NT cardiothoracic surgery program in 2017-18 after it was first promised by the CLP in 2016.

The program was expected to allow at least 150 patients a year to get heart surgery at home in the NT but the government quietly abandoned its plans for the service last year.

The Health Department is now looking to sell two heart-lung machines that it bought for $1.2 million in 2018.

Ms Fyles said they received advice the program would not be sustainable in the NT.

She said they took into account the low clinical volume of patients that would use the program due to the NT’s small population plus some “extensive infrastructure” changes that would be required at Royal Darwin Hospital to facilitate it. Heart Foundation NT president Marcus Ilton said the government made its decision based on only one potential model for the program when there were other, more viable and cost-effective models that should be considered.

Dr Ilton said the decision was disappointing.

He said there was still a need for a cardiothoracic surgery unit in Darwin and the volume of cases to support it.

“If we had unit we would expect a 25 per cent increase in clinical volume,” Dr Ilton said.

“We still have the highest incidence in Australia both in terms of patients presenting with heart attacks.

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“Patients will have to wait longer and there’s an inherent risk of having to fly interstate after you’ve just had a heart attack for surgery.”

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