Public hospital wait times – Why your address matters

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Untreated tonsillitis can lead to sore throats, sleepless nights and missed school days. In chronic tonsillitis, these symptoms can come back again and again for months, which can disrupt family life and performance in school. In acute tonsillitis, those swollen tonsils in the back of the throat can cause breathing difficulty.

ACL reconstruction wait times

An ACL reconstruction is the surgery required to repair the Anterior Cruciate Ligament, an important ligament in the knee.

We usually hear about sports players injuring an ACL and sitting out for the rest of the season. They get medical treatment almost straight away, and still have to wait that long to get back to work⁸.

Those of us who aren’t footy stars could be unlucky enough to wait as long as 366 days for a surgery.

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This can really throw a spanner in the works when it comes to work, school or family life. Not to mention the medical consequences of leaving an ACL injury untreated. If left too long, ACL injuries can lead to chronic knee problems such as ACL deficiency, which can cause your knee to buckle or give out, sometimes with pain and swelling⁹.

Septoplasty wait times

A septoplasty is the surgery required to fix a deviated septum, which is when the divider between your two nostrils is bent⁷.

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A severely bent septum can cause regular sinus infections and breathing difficulties if not treated.

Myringoplasty/Tympanoplasty wait times

Both of these surgeries are used to repair a perforated eardrum.

Causes of perforated eardrum include head trauma, inserting a cotton bud too far, and from air pressure changes when you catch a flight³.

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If left untreated, a perforated eardrum can sometimes repair itself. But while it’s healing, you may suffer hearing loss in the affected ear⁴.

If you can’t hear correctly, you can’t listen and learn correctly. This means that for young kids, prolonged hearing loss can lead to trouble speaking.

A perforated eardrum is also vulnerable to infection, particularly if you get water in it. If your doctor has recommended surgery, there’s a chance of infection or complications until the eardrum is repaired.

Myringotomy wait times

A myringotomy is a surgery commonly used in a grommets procedure that relieves pressure and fluid that builds up inside the ear during an ear infection⁵.

This one is common in kids – just like tonsillectomies – because kids under 10 years old are more likely to get ear infections.

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Pain, trouble hearing, and a chance of re-infection can all come with an untreated ear infection⁶.