There were 8,454 cases of surgical procedures or interventions that were pending for longer than is stipulated in the Patient Charter, Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament on Monday.

As per the Patient Charter, in urgent cases, care or intervention must be initiated within 8 weeks from the time of clinical decision, and non-urgent cases must be initiated within 18 months for a condition causing a lesser degree of pain, dysfunction or disability.

Fearne was responding to PN MP Claudette Buttigieg's Parliamentary Question, who asked about the waiting list for various surgical operations, including cardiac, dental, neurological, otolaryngological (ears, nose, and throat), ophthalmological, orthopaedic, and general surgical operations, amongst others.

There were 3,582 orthopaedic cases that exceeded the permitted waiting time, the most out of all the categories, followed by general surgical procedures (2,949 cases), and 686 cases of ophthalmic cases.

At the lower end, there were a mere 2 cases of cardiothoracic surgery that exceeded the stipulated time, as well as 19 dental cases and 30 gynaecological cases.