Victorians have been warned to brace for at least another week of delays to elective surgeries, as the state’s two major trauma hospitals pause or postpone some operations.
Surgeons have described pressures on the state’s hospital system as the “perfect storm” of increased numbers of trauma cases, large numbers of people hospitalised with COVID-19, and staff shortages.
On Monday, the Royal Children’s Hospital reported a surge of 375 presentations at its emergency department, with some patients waiting up to 12 hours for care. By 7am on Tuesday, the number of waiting patients had fallen to 14; thanks, in part, to staff who volunteered to work extra shifts or extend their working hours.
An Alfred Health spokesman apologised to the public for the temporary pause on elective surgeries, which he said was caused by “high numbers” of staff being sick with COVID-19 and a high demand for trauma services. Across the state, 1635 public hospital workers and 126 ambulance workers were on sick leave with COVID-19 on Wednesday, out of a statewide healthcare workforce of 240,000.
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