In June this year 1343 people were on the waiting list at Shoalhaven Hospital and 1472 people were waiting for surgery at Wollongong Hospital.

In the South Eastern Sydney/Illawarra Area Health Service region, which takes in the Shoalhaven 11,710 people were on waiting lists in June this year.

One of those is Remy Wright from Greenwell Point who has been waiting for more than a year for two knee replacements.

To cope with the pain she takes Panadol Osteo every six hours and uses sleeping tablets to get through the night.

“I have tried many different painkillers but they just made me sick. I hate to think what being on Panadol for so long is doing to my liver,” she said.

“In 2008 I received a letter stating that my first knee replacement would be in August 2009 and my second in September. It’s now October and I haven’t heard from the hospital.

“I was in a similar situation before with a different operation and when I phoned the hospital I was told they would contact me and that I shouldn’t keep phoning to ask when the operation was going to be done.

“So I haven’t called to check when my knees will be done,” she said.

“I’ve been on the waiting list for about a year and the longer I wait the more bow legged I’m becoming, and I never used to be bow legged.

“It’s quite painful and I can barely walk at times, it’s ridiculous,” Mrs Wright said.

South Eastern Sydney Illawarra Area Health Service Southern Hospitals Network director, Sue Browbank said they are investigating the concerns raised by Mrs Wright and is following this through with her doctor.

“SESIH are continually reviewing and adjusting waiting lists to ensure patients with the most urgent need for surgery are seen as a priority and this is always determined by the doctors providing patients’ care,” she said.

“There are currently no orthopaedic patients in SESIH’s Southern Hospitals Network who are ready for orthopaedic surgery and have been waiting longer than 12 months for their surgery,” Mrs Browbank said.