Lisa Wilkinson fires up over ‘awful’ Covid rule on The Project

The Project host took aim at state governments who are leaving thousands of Australians to suffer due to a Covid-19 rule which has had a shocking outcome.

Project host Lisa Wilkinson has taken aim at some state governments over a Covid rule that’s causing thousands of Australians to suffer.

In a gut-wrenching segment on Sunday night, two Australian women shared their stories of being forced to live in pain and fear as they faced a long and uncertain wait for surgery to fix their health problems.

New data shows the number of Australians waiting more than a year for elective surgery has tripled to nearly 57,300 patients. This includes gall bladder removal, hernia repairs, knee and hip replacements, neurological procedures and ear nose and throat procedures.

Unfortunately, waitlists are expected to blow out even more. As a result of the Omicron wave, category three elective surgery has been brought to a halt in NSW and Queensland, with only the most urgent category one surgeries able to go ahead.

Victoria recently saw IVF services reinstated after a viral social media post. So what about the other patients who desperately need help?

Many of these Australians waiting for surgery are in a lot of pain or face significant health issues, including Helen Theo who has a brain anuerysm that has doubled in size. She was scheduled to have surgery earlier this month but it was cancelled the day before.

“I’m worried that it might be another year before they actually call me up to get it done,” she said.

“And I’m worried about, you know, am I going to make it another year?

“Is it going to rupture? Am I going to die? Am I going to be paralysed?

“It feels like they’re playing with my life.

“I’m frustrated, I’m angry. I’m scared, very scared.”

Helen is waiting for her brain aneurysm to be removed. Picture: The Project

She continued: “What, do I need to cry on national TV to get my point across? It’s black and white. This is brain surgery.”

Shockingly, Dr Sally Langley from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons said that while desperate patients are forced to wait, specialist private surgeons who can’t be repurposed to help with covid patients are sitting at home.

“Private hospitals, day surgery and smaller hospitals are idle with surgeons and staff at home waiting to restart work and available at any time to recommence elective surgery,” Dr Langley said.

And even once elective surgeries are allowed again, which is scheduled to be next month in NSW, the following month in Queensland, and at a yet-to-be determined date for Victoria, there will be a large backlog of cases.

The term ‘elective surgery’, for some, invokes images of facelifts and nose jobs. But for many sick Australians, operations that are deemed elective, are actually essential. But these surgeries remain on hold during the pandemic.#TheProjectTVpic.twitter.com/T68kkBp6AR

— The Project (@theprojecttv) January 30, 2022

Another Australian facing a long wait is journalist Imogen Kars, who suffers from severe carpel tunnel syndrome and is concerned she may lose her hands.

Imogen, 26, said: “I’m a journalist, so my life and my role is my hands and without those I’d lose my job. I also am starting to really struggle with just basic living.

“It even hurts to wipe after the toilet. It hurts to wash my hair or to feed my cats.”

She said the whole process has turned into quite an ordeal.

“The wait is just getting disastrous now,” she said.

“It’s awful. It’s not just headlines.

“It’s our real lives and it’s not just a story. It’s my life.”

Imogen is also awaiting surgery. Picture: The Project

Host Lisa Wilkinson called for “some common sense” from the governments.

“It sounds like the hospital system and the various state governments making the decisions aren’t talking to each other in an effective way which means that these people who are desperate for surgery, that their surgery isn’t going ahead for that very reason,” she said.

“How can doctors be sitting at the home doing nothing?”

Lisa called for some common sense. Picture: The Project

Hamish agreed, saying: “I think that that is the shame of it. Obviously everyone in the health system is doing everything with best intent and there’s tonnes of people in the system who are being repurposed to deal with covid, but that’s not every case, and there are clearly theatres in hospitals that are not being used for this sort of stuff.

“Doctors, nurses, that are not being used for this stuff, that possibly could be.”