Our hospital wait list pain: Listeners detail their own stories

More than 20,000 sick Victorians will have their operations further delayed as the state’s hospitals are forced to extend waiting lists in the face of massive budget cuts.

The waiting lists at Melbourne’s major hospitals alone will grow by 43 per cent as a result of surgery funding deals signed-off by the Andrews Government this week.

At those hospitals, 40,754 elective patients will now wait for hip and knee replacements, cataract repairs and cardiac and other procedures.

Among the worst-affected hospitals are Northern Hospital, facing a 98 per cent increase and St Vincents, with a 79 per cent increase.

And we’re not coming from a strong base.

Ross and John took several calls this morning detailing staggeringly long wait times for elective surgery for cases from orthopedics to heart repairs.

Click PLAY to hear the real-life impacts of wait times