SA Health crisis: ‘Secret’ elective surgery ban in all public hospitals day before election

The former health minister says he was not aware that all non-elective surgery in public hospitals was suspended a day before the state election.

Former Health Minister Stephen Wade says he was unaware that all non-urgent elective surgery in public hospitals was suspended a day before the state election, after SA Health boss Dr Chris McGowan admitted he made the call not to announce it publicly.

New Premier Peter Malinauskas this morning made explosive claims that on Friday, March 18, SA’s public hospital system was so overrun that all non-urgent “overnight” elective surgery was secretly banned.

Mr Malinauskas said he was stunned to learn on Monday that all non-urgent elective surgery in public hospitals had been suspended the day before the state election.

“I have been formally advised by the chief executive officer of health that last week was one of the toughest week’s South Australia has ever experienced in respect to hospital pressure,” he said.

“So much so that I can reveal today that on Friday last week a decision was taken to abandon all non-urgent overnight elective surgery in our public hospitals.”

“I don’t recall the premier Steven Marshall or Minister Stephen Wade telling people the hospital system wasn’t coping – (the electorate) certainly weren’t told.

“If you want to know why we have different isolation requirements in SA, that has been an informing factor.”

However, Mr Wade said he was not aware of the decision.

“I was not informed of a suspension of elective surgery last Friday,” he said in a statement supplied to the Advertiser.

“Short-term suspensions of elective surgery at times of peak demand have been commonplace under both Labor and Liberal governments for years — Labor even did it to manage the shift to the new RAH.

Former Health Minister Stephen Wade says he was unaware that elective surgery had been suspended last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Michael Marschall

“It is misleading for the new Premier to suggest otherwise.”

Senior government sources said Mr Malinauskas in two briefings was told that bans were imposed across the entire Adelaide health system for overnight patients or those who needed at least one night in hospital after surgery. It involved multiple hospitals.

The Premier also announced he would scrap the Covid-ready committee and take control of a new Emergency Management Council, which will be a subcommittee of Cabinet.

SA Health chief executive officer Dr Chris McGowan contradicted the Premier when he said he could not “frankly can’t remember” which Local Health Network had cut elective surgery as it become “increasingly under pressure”.

Dr Christopher McGowan at the press conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

He said it was discussed in a morning “huddle” and then briefed to the chief of staff of Mr Wade.

He said he took the decision to not publicly announce any “controversial” measures due to caretaker convention.

“You will ask the question why I didn’t make that more well known to the public,” he said.

“Throughout caretaker mode, I took the policy of minimising any controversial announcements - period.

“Be that right or wrong, that’s the position I took as a public servant in caretaker mode.”

Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

But the new Premier said the convention only dictates decisions that impact a new government are not made or communicated to the Opposition.

Dr McGowan said it was not unusual for LHN’s to make such decisions after a surge in demand but it was rare for SA Health to impose wider bans across the entire system.

SA Health on Tuesday night said nine elective procedures were postponed across Adelaide hospitals last week.

Chief public health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, denied she had been given a directive to not talk about the modelling that showed cases could hit 10,000 in April or elective surgery bans before the election.

“There was a different cadence with the press conferences, we are – across the world and also nationally – we are at a different phase with the pandemic,” she said when asked why she had not fronted the media to announce modelling.

She said she welcomed the scrapping on the Covid-ready committee and said she wanted her legacy to be to be better prepared for future pandemics.

“This is not going to be the last pandemic as we have a very fragile relationship between humans and the environment I think we’ll be seeing pandemics in the future.”