The Nationals and Liberals to halve Victoria’s surgery waitlist

Patients across the Mildura electorate will have greater access to elective surgery under a Liberal and Nationals Government, with a plan to halve Victoria's surgery waitlist.

The SurgerySooner program will provide public patients with the choice to have their surgery at a participating private hospital or day surgery at no cost, delivering an additional 25,000 surgeries each year.

The Nationals' Member for Mildura, Jade Benham, said the plan would give regional patients another pathway to access treatment sooner.

"People across Mildura are waiting for surgery, and regional patients should not be disadvantaged simply because they live further from Melbourne," Ms Benham said.

"For many people, accessing healthcare already means travelling significant distances, taking time away from work and family and making arrangements around appointments and treatment. They should not then be left waiting longer for surgery.

"SurgerySooner is about making better use of the capacity we already have and giving public patients more choice, so they can get the treatment they need sooner."

Based on Queensland's Surgery Connect program, SurgerySooner will partner with more than 100 private surgical hospitals and day surgeries across Victoria. Procedures will include hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, hernia repairs, gynaecological procedures, gastroscopies and colonoscopies.

The program will partner with more than 100 private surgical hospitals and day surgeries across Victoria, with procedures including hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery, hernia repairs, gynaecological procedures, gastroscopies and colonoscopies.

Victoria's elective surgery waitlist has grown to almost 69,000 people under Labor, more than 10,000 higher than this time last year.

"Labor promised Victorians an extra 40,000 elective surgeries a year and walked away from that commitment," Ms Benham said.