VICTORIA'S elective surgery waiting list is edging closer to 50,000 people, many of whom are in pain as they wait their turn.
There were 4587 more people on the list at the end of last year than in December 2011, after the first 12 months of the state coalition government.
Peter Smith, 78, of Belgrave, is practically house-bound until he gets into Box Hill Hospital for a hip replacement.
It is more than a year since his GP sent him to a specialist, who has told him his health is suffering due to the lack of exercise.
"I don't get out very much," Mr Smith said.
"How would you be if you were almost house-bound because of what you feel is the inadequacies of the funding for our health service."
Eastern Health told Mr Smith last February he would have to wait longer than anticipated due to a $8.4 million commonwealth funding cut.
Mr Smith is still waiting for his operation.
The waiting list grew by 1332 people in the September quarter, which pre-dated the federal government's $107 million October funding cut.
The cut has now been reversed and state Health Minister David Davis has urged the commonwealth to pay the money now.
"I call on the federal minister to stop delaying, stop dithering - just pay the money as quickly as possible," he said.
Federal Health Minister Tanya Plibersek said the September quarter waiting list surge was proof the state government's $616 million health cuts had hurt patients.
"Premier (Ted) Baillieu's political gamesmanship saw hundreds of beds close, operating theatre shutdowns and hospital staff sacked," she said.
"And now we have proof he is to blame for what happened."
The figures also showed 665 people waited in Frankston Hospital's emergency department (ED) for longer than 24 hours between July and September last year.
Mr Davis said the large figure was a result of an ED redesign, peak winter demand and a gastroenteritis outbreak that closed beds.
The average wait time for treatment in Victoria's busiest emergency department, The Alfred, was 19 minutes in the December quarter, three minutes longer than at the same time last year.
Patients at the Royal Children's Hospital ED had to wait an average of 42 minutes to get treated, while the longest average waiting time was 65 minutes at the Royal Victorian Eye & Ear Hospital.
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