Elective surgery increase

THE Epworth and St John of God (SJOG) private hospitals in Geelong shifted from 50 to 75 per cent normal capacity for elective surgery on February 21 and 100 per cent from last Monday, as the impact of the Omicron wave continues to subside and stabilise.

The Victorian Government paused all non-urgent elective surgery on January 6 in the face of surging Omicron cases, but in two separate announcements over the last week – the latest on Tuesday – gradually eased all restrictions.

First announcing the changes two weeks ago, Health Minister Martin Foley said the rolling seven-day average of COVID-19 hospitalisations was at 457 patients, decreasing from a peak of more than 1,200 in mid-January 2022.

“We understand that this has been a difficult time for many people waiting for surgery and we thank them for their patience while we managed the peak of the Omicron variant,” Mr Foley said.

“With hospitalisations steadily declining and staff availability improving, we’re in a strong position to remove the remaining restrictions and ensure delayed appointments can be rescheduled as quickly as possible.”

A decrease in patients being hospitalised is similarly reflected in the number of staff unavailable due to COVID, a drop of around two-thirds to 1,400 people.

“Our entire healthcare workforce has done an incredible job getting us through the Omicron wave,” Mr Foley said.

“Our approach needs to be cautious and steady to ensure they’re able to cope without being further affected by fatigue and furloughs.”

Both SJOG and Epworth will continue providing support to Barwon Health and the public hospital system.

“We’re working closely with private hospitals to provide our community with access to surgical services and we welcome their return to elective surgery,” Barwon Health’s Kate Bibby said.