The Australian Medical Association has warned Victoria’s elective surgery waitlist may have increased by up to 50% over the past three months, as public hospitals brace for a surge in Covid cases in the coming weeks.
Guardian Australia has revealed elective surgery procedures could be wound back in the state due to staff shortages, with modelling showing Covid cases and hospitalisations from the Omicron subvariant are set to peak this month. The Andrews government this month unveiled a $1.5bn package to help clear the backlog of deferred elective surgery procedures, but the opposition criticised it as “too little too late” for the “healthcare crisis.”
