There were more than 7000 people in the Illawarra waiting for elective surgery with about 1200 left waiting longer than recommended, according to recent data from the Bureau of Health Information.
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The quarterly health figures from the peak of the Omicron wave show there were 2227 surgeries performed, which was a 35.5 per cent drop - 1227 fewer surgeries - compared to the same January to March quarter a year ago.
The only time there were less surgeries performed was in April to June 2020, at the start of the pandemic.
"During this quarter, non-urgent elective surgery requiring an overnight stay was temporarily paused so the resources and capacity required for the COVID-19 response could be maintained," Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District clinical operations director Margaret Martin. said.
"Elective surgery then resumed in stages from February, allowing 75 per cent of procedures to go ahead."
Almost all urgent surgeries (99.5 per cent) was performed on time, according to the figures, but the actual number of urgent surgeries performed fell to the lowest point in 10 years.
There were 571 urgent surgeries performed across the district, which was a 26 per cent drop from the number in the same period a year ago.
Overall, 75 per cent of surgeries were performed on time - the fifth lowest on time percentage in 10 years - and the number of non-urgent surgeries performed fell by almost half compared with the same quarter in the previous year.
With the state's elective surgery waiting list rising to its highest number ever - 18,627 people during the January to march quarter - the NSW Government has this week announced it will invest a further $408 million to fast-track elective surgeries.
In a pre-budget announcement, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said the funding boost would take the Government's total commitment to reducing wait times to almost $1 billion.
"We will increase elective surgery activity in our public hospitals and continue our collaborative care arrangements with private hospitals, meaning public patients will get faster access to the care they need," Mr Perrottet said.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the NSW Government's investment will boost staff by 267 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) and open additional theatre lists at some hospitals on evenings and weekends.
In the Illawarra, Ms Martin said the local health district was working hard to ensure non-urgent elective procedures that were delayed during the temporary suspensions are carried out as quickly as possible.
"We continue to prioritise returning elective surgery to 100 per cent of pre-pandemic activity levels, with the staged increase continuing based on hospital and staffing capacity as well as any demand associated with the COVID-19 response and high influenza activity," she said.
"The District continues to work closely with our local private hospital partners to maximise the opportunities for patients to receive their surgery."
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
