Perth - Public patient = longer wait???

TeganRheana · February 22, 2008

Hi just wondering how long everyone had to wait to get their band in from the first appointment with the specialist??? Interested to hear from both public and private patients!!!!

aus_girl_1289 · February 22, 2008

hi teagan!

my initial appointment was the 21st of december, but it took me a little while to get the funds together around that time of the year, so i went back and saw him the 12th of feb and my surgery is scheduled for the 17th of march! all very exciting...however he could have done it as early as 3 weeks, but he wanted me on the Optifast for 4 weeks...so im trudging through that at the moment!

i dont know if it makes any difference, but i am covered by HBF.

Cherry_Blue · February 22, 2008

Hi teagan....I had my first appointment on December 6...and had my op booked 16th Jan. I could have got in earlier but I had to fit in for when my hubby could get a week off as I have a baby. I went with Dr Watson and I have lost 17 kilos so far and having my first fill on Tuesday.

Good luck

fat2fit · February 22, 2008

Hi just wondering how long everyone had to wait to get their band in from the first appointment with the specialist??? Interested to hear from both public and private patients!!!!

Hi Tegan im going to be banded on the 27/2/08:scared2: through public hospital. It wasnt much of a wait i had seen my doctors late jan and early feb and i was booked in about 3 weeks later. The nurse was saying they are getting booked out pretty fast. Good luck with ur banding!

-acl- · February 24, 2008

I was self pay and it was a 2 week wait from the time of consult to surgery day.

free2bme · April 8, 2008

Does anyone know what the wait time is at the moment for Public (no private health cover) patients in Perth?

I have heard SCGH is 3-4 years, Joondalup 18 months?

Coo · April 12, 2008

I have heard its 2 years plus - and that you are often bumped further back if the hospital has more urgent cases and sometimes lists are cancelled - as this is elective surgery.

Perhaps some thorough research with the doctors/consultants receptionists would give you a better knowledge of each hospital?

nat36 · April 12, 2008

Does anyone know what the wait time is at the moment for Public (no private health cover) patients in Perth?
I have heard SCGH is 3-4 years, Joondalup 18 months?

Joondalup wont take patients outside of the Joondalup zone either. Ifound that out when I was considering going public. The Dr in Geraldton wont even do public patients anymore because he was only funded for about 4 a year and he got frustrated with the system so will not do any now.

Fanny Adams · April 13, 2008

I didn't even know you could do it on the public purse! I thought you HAD to have private health or fully self-fund (which is the way I went).

TeganRheana · April 16, 2008

Thanks for all the replies girls...sorry it has taken me so long to respond. I am in a bit of a dilemma at the moment, not sure what I am supposed to do...

Nov last year my doc referred me to Sir Charles Gardener, because I didn't hear from them and it had been 4 months already my doc then referred me to Kevin Dolan (joondalup) and then I had an appointment with him only 4 weeks later. Anyway, so I had my appointment with him about 2 weeks ago, i filled in the forms and now i am on the waiting list for the surgery in Joondalup (we currently live in Landsdale NOR) which he said will be around the 12-18mnth mark. Then today I get a phone call from SCG saying that they sent my letter (appointment) to the wrong address and that they will send a new one to my address here so now I am waiting on that. Then I will go to that appointment fill in the forms etc and get on the list at SCG.

NOW my dilemma is...I will be on 2 waiting lists haha...and we are moving to rockingham in a couple of weeks. After hearing one of you say that Joondalup WON'T do patients out of the joondalup area...do you think that once I am on the list with SCG that I should just cancel it all with joondalup OR should I just wait it out and see who will let me in first??? I don't want to have to wait another 3-4yrs (if that is true) for SCG to do it for me!! I need it now!!! haha...

What would you do???? Thanks for reading!!!