My name is Chris and I have started this petition because I don’t believe our public health system is working for us. Not everyone can afford private health insurance, or the associated costs, and this is not an expense that should be considered necessary in a country with universal healthcare.

I have been extremely sick since November 2020 and am on the public waitlist for two elective surgeries - the term elective refers to the surgery not being urgent, or required within 24 hours. Although I am so sick that I spend upwards of $40 a week on medication to manage my symptoms, I had to quit my job, and I am unable to exercise or eat properly, my surgeries - a colonoscopy/endoscopy (since March 2021, originally told 3 months until procedure) and laparoscopic surgery to confirm a suspicion of terminal endometriosis (have been advised it will be a minimum of 8 months until I can have an initial appointment, with surgery another long wait afterwards) - are both considered category 3, the least urgent category. This is because the current national guidelines are based on the likelihood of the patient presenting to an emergency department requiring surgery within 24 hours, not on how severe their condition is. The guidelines have nothing to do with the suffering or quality of life the patient experiences. 

Through this journey, amid feelings of helplessness and frustration, I have had the opportunity to talk to many others who also suffer at the rigid and definitely not patient centred guidelines. This is what has inspired me to make change for those who need it most. By changing the guidelines to allow GPs to recommend patients receive more urgent surgery based on their needs as well as the already existing urgency categories, people who suffer from debilitating conditions that would otherwise see them waiting years for treatment would be able to access their elective surgeries faster through the public system.