Parliamentary QA
Median Waiting Time for Cancer Treatment in Public Hospitals by Ward Class and Specialty
7 August 2024
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NOTICE PAPER NO. 2865
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 7 AUGUST 2024
Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Ms Hazel Poa
Non-Constituency MP
Question No. 5883
To ask the Minister for Health what is the median waiting time by ward class of public hospitals for (i) new specialist outpatient appointments for the medical oncology, surgical oncology, and radiotherapy specialties and (ii) cancer patients to commence chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery for cancer treatment respectively.
Answer
1 The median waiting times for new specialist outpatient appointments in 2023 are as follows:
Table caption
Medical Oncology | Radiotherapy | Surgical Oncology | |
|---|---|---|---|
Median Waiting Time (days) for Subsidised Patients | 8 | 5.8 | 4.5 |
Median Waiting Time (days) for Private Patients | 5.5 | 4.3 | 2.5 |
2 By and large, for serious diseases like cancer, treatments are often carried as soon as possible. However, MOH does not track the median waiting times to treatment for cancer patients as it is not a meaningful indicator.
3 Waiting times to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and cancer surgery vary depending on the type and stage of cancer and treatment modalities. In addition, some patients with other accompanying chronic conditions may require additional pre-operative management prior to treatment. Some patients may also require stepwise treatment where surgery is performed before or after chemotherapy or radiotherapy. As treatment poses much discomfort and inconvenience, others, after discussing with doctors, may choose to delay their treatment.