Waiting time for elective surgery dropping

Patients can now get a planned operation faster than at any time in history

The waiting time for a planned operation in Denmark is shorter than ever. According to figures from the regional health authorities, Danske Regioner, the waiting time for elective surgery in 2007 was 60 days, but by 2013, the waiting time had fallen to 51 days.

More examinations, more treatment
Danske Regioner head Bent Hansen said the shorter waiting period means more people are being treated.

“Since the health regions were formed, we have focused a lot on getting more patients through faster,” he said. “The latest figures show that there has been an increase in the number of treatments and examinations – 16 percent in four years.”

Better numbers than the neighbours
The figures also revealed that the waiting time for a new knee or a hip replacement is significantly lower in Denmark than in some other countries.

READ MORE: A third of cancer patients don't receive needed surgery

While Danes wait 51 days for a planned hip replacement, the waiting time in Norway and the UK is 90 days and 118 days in Finland.

The average waiting time for a knee replacement in Denmark is 55 days. That wait is 97 days in Britain, 104 days in Norway and 139 days in Finland.

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