More operating theatres will expand the number of elective surgeries performed each year in the ACT, with the territory government providing extra funding as part of its effort to deliver 60,000 procedures in four years.
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Evening and weekend surgeries, along with more hospital beds for inpatients, were part of the commitment, the government said.
The budget will allocate a record $2.6 billion to health spending, an increase of about 13 per cent from last year's budget.
Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said Canberra Health Services was on track to deliver a record number of elective surgeries in 2024.
"This is a huge effort by teams across the ACT health system, with our public and private hospitals working together to complete more surgeries to support patients," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"This funding will support our territory-wide teams to continue this momentum, delivering more timely care to Canberrans."
"Staff will soon have access to new state-of-the-art operating theatres at the Critical Services Building. The advanced medical technology included in these theatres will support teams to deliver even better and more efficient care."
The government also committed to delivering an extra 300 cataract surgeries in partnership with private facilities.
More than $52 million has been allocated to the government's plan to deliver 60,000 elective surgeries in four years, first announced more than a year ago.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the budget would include funding to expand health service delivery, a nationwide challenge as workforce shortages meant supply was limited and ageing populations that meant demand was growing.
"Continuing to deliver a record number of important surgeries fundamentally improves the wellbeing and broader health outcomes of more Canberrans and in many instances can prevent the need for further health interventions," Mr Barr said.
Figures released in April showed the ACT's public health system was still struggling to keep up with long elective surgery waiting lists and that nearly one-third of people on the waiting list were overdue for procedures.
More than 7600 were on the waiting list and ready for surgery, with 30 per cent waiting longer than the clinically recommended timeframe.
More than half of those classed as needing surgery within 90 days were overdue for a procedure, the figures showed.
But the problem of long waits for elective surgeries is not unique to the ACT's medical system.
The Public Hospital Report Card, released in April by the Australian Medical Association, showed the median wait time for elective surgeries had grown to the longest on record, with the median wait of 49 days across the country in 2022-23.
Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
