The government is being urged not to cut elective surgery in the island which could have ‘far-reaching consequences’ for patient care.

Responding to a written Tynwald question by Onchan MHK Julie Edge, Health Minister Lawrie Hooper revealed elective surgeries have been reduced from this month in certain areas to save £220,000.

But the decision has angered the Isle of Man Medical Society (IOMSS), which represents doctors and others in the medical profession, says delaying surgery will only increase pressure on other parts of the NHS.

In his answer to the written question, Mr Hooper said: ‘From mid-September 2024, Manx Care are reducing the number of elective theatre lists by 5.5 per week (on average), a reduction from 30 to 24.5, as part of their plan to recover the overspend and is intended to save an estimated £220,000 in the latter six months of the financial year.

‘Cancellations have been selected within the general surgery, ENT (ear, nose and throat) and gynaecology specialties which currently have the lowest waiting lists for inpatient and day case surgery.

‘Manx Care appreciates this will extend waiting lists within these specialties and operational systems are in place within the access and capacity team to ensure that any urgent or cancer procedures are not affected by these reductions.’

But the IOMMS is angered by the move and labelled it ‘short-sighted’.

In a letter to Manx Care it said: ‘We, the IOMMS, write to express our profound concern and strong opposition to the proposed reduction in elective surgery theatre lists as announced by Manx Care.

‘While we understand the financial pressures facing our healthcare system, we believe that these cuts will have severe and far-reaching consequences for patient care and the overall health of our community.

‘The decision to reduce elective surgeries in an apparent misguided effort to save £220,000 is short-sighted and fails to consider the long-term implications for patientoutcomes.

‘Elective surgeries are not merely optional procedures; they are essential interventions that significantly improve the quality of life for our patients.’

The IOMMS warns that delaying or cancelling surgeries will end up costing more as patients’ health deteriorate.

It says: ‘Reducing elective surgery is not a cost saving but a deferred cost which in time will likely be higher, because morbidity increases with time and so surgery becomes more challenging, adding to cost inflation and may form justification for further outsourcing to for-profit companies such as Synaptik.

‘This will also increase demand on primary care appointments as patients seek treatment for symptoms while waiting for the surgery, thus exacerbating the existing issues in access to General Practitioner appointments.’

The IOMMS also says there is already a backlog of those awaiting surgery and add strain to the healthcare system.

It added: ‘This decision appears to have been taken with no clinical input and in the case of several of our members, will constitute unilateral changes to their job plans and therefore their contracts.’

Retaining and recruiting staff to fill vacant posts should be the focus rather than cost-cutting, the IOMMS insists.

It says: ‘We urge the Manx Care Board to reconsider this decision and explore alternative cost-saving measures that do not compromise patient care such as the ones we have.

‘Investing in preventive measures, streamlining administrative processes and seeking additional funding sources are potential avenues that could be pursued without jeopardising the health and well-being of our patients.’