Hospitals must catch up with at least 170,000 operations | Inland

According to a spokesperson, it is about 11 to 14 percent of the number of operations that normally take place in a year. Since the crisis erupted in March last year, there have been 340,000 to 380,000 fewer surgeries than would have happened without the crisis, but there have also been fewer injuries such as bone fractures and sports injuries and fewer cases of respiratory and middle ear infections during the lockdowns.

In the meantime, some complaints also just went away. There has been discussion for some time about performing operations that are not very necessary. Some recurring treatments also did not have to be made up. Such periodic treatments are normally picked up again.

The surgeries that need to be caught up in particular are cataract and post-cataract surgery (18 percent of the total estimated catch-up care demand), hip and knee replacement (9 percent), inguinal and other abdominal wall fractures (7 percent), operations for varicose veins (3 percent) and operations for women with incontinence complaints and/or a prolapse (3 percent).

Since April, the number of referrals has returned to pre-pandemic levels.

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