Ballarat Base Hospital to treat Melbourne Covid patients

Ballarat will treat Melbourne Covid patients from Monday as the hospital starts to reduce its services including elective surgeries.

Ballarat hospital is preparing to treat patients from Melbourne.

Ballarat Base Hospital will treat Covid patients from Melbourne as of Monday with elective surgeries reduced.

The hospital has been announced as a streaming hospital, joining Bendigo and Geelong.

Ballarat Health Services stressed it would not impact its ability to treat local Covid patients, however elective surgeries will be reduced.

BHS will join a network of Covid beds that will cater for cases from across the state.

Acute operations executive director Ben Kelly said the hospital was part of a broader state-wide system.

“And we will contribute by taking in patients from other regions,” he said.

“If we ever exceed our capacity, we have a great relationship with St John of God — I wouldn’t hesitate to ask them for help.”

BHS chief executive Dale Fraser.

BHS chief executive Dale Fraser said elective surgeries had been wound back.

“We have already started to scale back our elective surgery programs,” he said.

“Emergency surgical care, accidents and category one surgeries will continue, while high priority category two surgeries will run on a case by case basis.

“We do apologise for any inconvenience this causes.

“If you are sick please don’t delay care, we have the capacity to provide care to you”