7,000 surgeries cancelled in first 5 months of year

MORE than 7,000 planned surgeries and other procedures were cancelled in hospitals in the first five months of this year, figures show.

Some 5,362 in-patient operations and procedures were called off or rescheduled from January to May, along with 1,675 day cases — showing the monthly average has increased by 166 over last year.

The biggest number of cancellations occurred in the biggest hospitals.