'Finally': Nine-month surgery wait over for opioid addicted patient

Heywood resident Alan Rundell, 69, fell victim to Victoria's record elective surgery wait times, languishing for nine months when he should have been treated within three.

But after a series by ACM highlighting shortfalls in the state's healthcare system and Mr Rundell's case in particular, he underwent surgery in late May.

"They said the order came straight from the Premier, on advice from the Health Minister," Mr Rundell said.

Mr Rundell had been waiting for hip replacement "revision" surgery. His hip had previously been replaced, but the replacement parts were wearing out.

"When I first saw this orthopaedic surgeon in Ballarat he was that worried about it he said it needed urgent looking at," he said.

"The ball on the end of the replaced hip was obviously broken or something was seriously wrong."

The maximum wait time for Mr Rundell's surgery was supposed to be 90 days, but the procedure was cancelled several times.

As the pain became worse, he started taking more of his potent opioid painkillers.

By April he was taking double the maximum daily dose just to be able to sleep at night.

"When my pharmacist found out he told me I would have to ease off immediately because I was putting myself at serious risk of heart attack or stroke," Mr Rundell said.

"He put me on to an ED doctor who confirmed the maximum amount I'm allowed to take, and it's half what I'd been having."

He said he had become "addicted", but had no option but to keep taking the pills.

After the story revealing Mr Rundell's dangerous addiction, the state government contacted ACM for his details so it could look into his case.

A couple of weeks later Mr Rundell had a surgery date.

ACM asked the Premier's office what it had done to expedite Mr Rundell's surgery. They said the government had no involvement on when patients received surgery.

"Planned surgery wait lists are based on clinical need and advice from treating clinicians who have input on an individual's care," a government spokesperson said.

A spokesperson for Grampians Health, where Mr Rundell underwent surgery, declined to say whether the government contacted the health service about his case.

"For surgery at Grampians Health hospitals, patients are always prioritised based on clinical need," the spokesperson said.

"We've been making steady progress with our elective surgery program that is aimed to reduce our elective surgery waitlist."

Mr Rundell said he was elated to have had the operation.

"I'm so relieved and I just want to say a huge thank you to the hospital and the government for getting it done," he said.

"I'm still very sore and I've got a long way ahead, but it's getting slightly better every day."

The government has had to pour billions of dollars into elective surgery over the past two years to make a dint in the wait list.

Since early 2023 the number of people waiting for surgery has dropped from 77,369 to 62,228.

But ACM revealed in May that systemic inefficiencies and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic meant hospitals were tracking to miss their 2023-24 target by about 30,000 surgeries.

The government chose not to renew its $1.5 billion COVID Catch Up funding for elective surgeries in the May budget, but argued the extra $8.8 billion it had pledged toward the hospital system would ensure wait lists wouldn't blow out.

But within weeks ACM revealed hospitals had received significant cuts to their 2024-25 budgets and would almost certainly be forced to cut back services.

Both metropolitan and regional hospitals are forecasting hiring freezes and cuts to elective surgery, meaning the wait lists could blow back out to record levels within a year.