Plan to send patients to other parts of the state to slash surgery waits

Victorians could travel to hospitals in other parts of the state for surgery under a new plan to cut hospital waiting lists.

A blueprint of reforms released by the Department of Health sets out a list of measures for not only improving services and cutting wait times and also spreading the workload on doctors and nurses.

Neurosurgeon and Royal Australasian College of Surgeons Victorian state chair, Dr Patrick Lo, says patients won’t be sent across the state for surgery, they’ll be operated on in neighbouring regional centres or other parts of the metropolitan area.

Press PLAY below to hear how the new plan will work

“We’re not talking about having people from Bayside travel to Warrnambool to have their surgery,” he told Ross and Russel.

“Somebody from Ballarat can go quickly to Bendigo and have their procedure done.”