Women's Health

The Hon. H.M. GIROLAMO (15:21): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Minister, can you please update the council on a new surgery being offered to women in South Australia?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:21): I thank the honourable member for her question. Women needing hysterectomies now have access to a game-changing surgery that is helping them recover faster and, in particular, halving their time in hospital. The Lyell McEwin Hospital is leading the way for hysterectomies, becoming the first public hospital in the state and one of the first in Australia to provide the novel vNOTES surgery for hysterectomy.

Belgium has been a leader in vNOTES surgery. This technology is cutting edge in Australia, with only a handful of other surgeons in the private sector and in Sydney being able to perform it. vNOTES, which stands for transvaginal natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery, is a technique that uses keyhole instruments to perform more challenging hysterectomies, rather than using incisions through the abdomen.

For patients, there are many advantages of the vNOTES surgery over regular laparoscopic surgery: it's less invasive, there are no abdominal scars, it's less painful, there is less time in surgery (around 40 minutes less), and there is less time in recovery (about one day, compared to an average of two days for laparoscopic surgeries that do require incisions). An estimated 30,000 Australian women undergo a hysterectomy every year for conditions such as chronic pain, endometriosis, fibroids, heavy bleeding, uterine prolapse and even cancer.

A gynaecologist at the Lyell McEwin Hospital told me a hysterectomy can be one of the most rewarding surgeries for women because of the regular pain that constantly interferes with their lives in the case of the conditions I just mentioned. A 48-year-old mother of two, Peta-Anne Louth, was one of those women. In an interview with the ABC, she said that her endometriosis and adenomyosis was causing her so much pain that she was bedridden approximately every two weeks.

She says that vNOTES surgery has changed her life and she wanted to tell her story so that other women could consider the surgery, and also break down some of the social barriers that come with talking about hysterectomies and women's health. Now that she has recovered from the surgery and has got back to normal life, she says:

My brain isn't foggy, I'm functioning at 150 per cent as I once was, so to have the procedure was absolutely life-saving for me.

The surgery is not only delivering better outcomes for patients but also freeing up space in hospitals. Halving the length of stay in surgery is great for the patient and the hospital alike. Patients are bouncing back a lot quicker because there is less healing due to there being no cuts to the stomach, and they are able to return to their work or family commitments quicker, while the hospital has more theatres and beds available for other patients, easing pressure on the wider hospital system.

The benefit for the surgeons is that they have more space to perform the surgery—and magnified vision. They also prefer it over a regular laparoscopic surgery as it's quicker and more efficient.

Surgeons have now completed around 25 surgeries during the initial trial period over the past 12 months, and five surgeries are booked in the coming two months. I would like to congratulate the staff at the Lyell McEwin Hospital, who have pioneered this surgery in South Australia for the benefit of South Australian women.