Record Elective Surgeries Boost Canberra's Health System Outlook

The Australian Capital Territory's health system is showing signs of improvement in elective surgery performance, a sector long burdened by extensive waiting lists. In the 2025-26 financial year, Canberra hospitals set a new record by completing nearly 18,000 elective surgeries, an increase of about 1,000 procedures from the previous year.

This surge in activity has led to a significant reduction in overdue patients. Dr. Gert Frahm-Jensen, clinical director of surgery at Canberra Hospital, noted a drop from over 2,000 overdue patients to just over 1,000. "We've not only caught up on the elective operations that have come in through the year, we've also managed to reduce the long waits of yesteryear," he stated.

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We've gone from just over 2,000 patients being overdue last year to just over 1,000 now. And so we've not only caught up on the elective operations that have come in through the year, we've also managed to reduce the long waits of yesteryear.

Canberra Health Services (CHS) chief operating officer Alison Derrett confirmed that while 1,274 patients are still overdue for surgery, a 37% decrease, the service has prioritized Category 1 patients, those who should receive surgery within 30 days. "Back in January we had about 100 of those patients, and at the end of June we were right down to 14 of those patients," Derrett said.

Despite these positive trends, challenges remain. Attracting specialists to Canberra has been cited as a reason for persistent long wait times for ACT patients. The health portfolio is also under new leadership, with Marisa Paterson taking over after seven years under previous ministers, inheriting a system still grappling with its backlog.

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Back in January we had about 100 of those patients, and at the end of June we were right down to 14 of those patients. So we will continue to really target people in their category time frame for surgery.