FairWaitCardio-thoracic surgery waiting times in Australia
How long public patients wait for cardio-thoracic surgery operations, at each public hospital and in each state — official AIHW figures, checked daily.
Median wait by state and territory
| State / territory | Median wait |
|---|---|
| ACT | 15 days |
| Qld | 17 days |
| Vic | 19 days |
| NSW | 22 days |
| WA | 22 days |
| SA | 28 days |
| Tas | 48 days |
Shortest waits at public hospitals
The 15 public hospitals with the shortest median wait for cardio-thoracic surgery operations, out of 46 reporting.
| Hospital | State | Local health network | Median wait | Operations in the year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wollongong Hospital | NSW | Illawarra Shoalhaven | 1 days | 204 |
| Mater Adult Hospital | Qld | Not applicable | 4 days | 41 |
| Royal Brisbane & Women's Hospital | Qld | Metro North (Qld) | 6 days | 59 |
| Queensland Children's Hospital | Qld | Children's Health Queensland | 6 days | 293 |
| St Vincent's Hospital [Darlinghurst] | NSW | St Vincent's Health Network | 8 days | 356 |
| St George Hospital NSW | NSW | South Eastern Sydney | 9 days | 151 |
| The Bendigo Hospital | Vic | Bendigo Health Care Group | 11 days | 33 |
| University Hospital Geelong | Vic | Barwon Health | 12 days | 203 |
| Albury Wodonga Health [Wodonga Campus] | Vic | Albury Wodonga Health | 12 days | 35 |
| Box Hill Hospital | Vic | Eastern Health (Vic) | 12 days | 67 |
| The Northern Hospital [Epping] | Vic | Northern Health (Vic) | 12 days | 89 |
| Townsville University Hospital | Qld | Townsville | 12 days | 432 |
| Joondalup Health Campus (Public) | WA | North Metropolitan Health Service (WA) | 12 days | 51 |
| Royal Melbourne Hospital [City Campus] | Vic | Melbourne Health | 13 days | 527 |
| Princess Alexandra Hospital | Qld | Metro South (Qld) | 13 days | 683 |
Common questions
How long is the public waiting list for cardio-thoracic surgery operations in Australia?
Half of patients admitted from public hospital waiting lists for cardio-thoracic surgery operations waited 20 days or less (national median, 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30). By state it ranged from 15 days (ACT) to 48 days (Tas).
Can I avoid the wait?
As a private patient you choose your surgeon and usually wait less, but you pay fees, partly covered by Medicare and any private health insurance. Private hospitals don't publish waiting times.
Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) — MyHospitals, elective surgery waiting times, 2024-07-01 to 2025-06-30. All data sources.