The recommended wait for Craig's surgery is 90 days, but he's been waiting four years

Once a keen fisherman, Craig Ayers watches on in envy as boats motor away from the boat ramp at Primrose Sands. Key points: Tasmania has the longest wait times in the country for hip and knee replacements — an average wait of 286 days for hip surgery and 462 days for knee There were 12,086 Tasmanians waiting for elective surgery in December 2020, up from 11,110 in December 2019 The nursing union says surgeries are being cancelled due to staff shortages, with 900 unfilled shifts at the state's largest hospital in April The 50-year-old uses two walking sticks to hobble down to the end of the jetty to get a better view. "I would be looking for a strong commitment from both parties for a properly funded health system where's there's not ambulances backed up, where people get the care they need and deserve," he said. A government spokesperson said there were more than 750 FTE additional nurses in the Tasmanian health system now compared to seven years ago, "including over 390 FTE of additional nurses at the Royal Hobart Hospital". Admitted median wait time for selected procedures PROCEDURE 12 months to Dec 2019 12 months to Dec 2020 Cataract extraction 126 130 Cholecystectomy 105 68 Coronary artery bypass graft 47 24 Cystoscopy 35 39 Haemorrhoidectomy 122 90 Hysterectomy 190 130 Inguinal herniorrhaphy 134 190 Myringoplasty 222 145 Prostatectomy 67 47 Septoplasty 212 348 Tonsillectomy 165 177 Total hip replacement 180 286 Total knee replacement 319 462 Varicose veins stripping and ligation 147 761 Other 35 30 All procedures 58 56 Source: Tasmania Department of Health On Monday, the Tasmanian Liberals said, if elected, they would invest "$156.4 million over four years across the state, delivering an additional 22,300 elective surgeries and endoscopies".