Coronavirus elective surgery restrictions eased

Private hospitals will be able to restart some elective surgery from next week after the federal government lifted restrictions.

Private hosipitals will be able to resume some elective surgery from next week. Picture: AFP

Private hospitals will be able to restart elective surgery from next week after the federal government lifted restrictions on non-essential procedures as the number of Australian coronavirus infections slowed.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said 25 per cent of elective procedures in public and private hospitals would be allowed to be performed from next Monday.

This included all IVF procedures, screening and testing procedures, post cancer reconstruction surgery, dental operations, hip, knee and other joint replacements, all surgery on children under 18 and colonoscopies and endoscopies.

The lifting of restrictions will be welcomed by private hospitals, which have been under significant financial pressure after the government banned all elective surgeries - the private health sector’s major revenue driver - last month.

The ban was implemented to preserve stocks of personal protective equipment (PPE) and limit the spread of COVID-19.

Mr Morrison said the government had secured an additional 30 million masks for the national PPE stockpile, allowing elective surgery restrictions to be lifted.

“This is an important decision because it marks a step on the way back,” Mr Morrison said.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the rate of COVID-19 infections had slowed to less than 1 per cent growth in recent days.

“This is a result of what Australians had done in containment,” Mr Hunt said regarding recommencing elective surgery.

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said the while the government was gradually easing COVID-19 restrictions, the threat of a fresh coronavirus outbreak remained.

He said one person could infect 40 people, saying other restrictions, such as banning community sport - was still necessary.

Australian Private Hospitals Association chief executive Michael Roff welcomed the partial lifting of the elective surgery ban but said private hospitals would need access to the national PPE stockpile.

“Access to PPE is going to be a critical issue for return to elective surgery and if normal supply chains are not restored soon, private hospitals will need to be given access either to government supply chains or to the national stockpile to ensure they can provide care safely,” Mr Roff said.

“We must work together, going forward, to ensure Australians are able to get the care they need and our health workforce has the PPE needed to provide that care in a safe environment.

Mr Roff also called for a nationally consistent approach to the restart of elective surgery, rather than a more sporadic state and territory-based approach.

“For a nationally consistent approach surgical restrictions need to be eased across the private and public hospitals at the same rate. This is to ensure equity of access to available services for patients on public elective waiting lists, in addition to privately insured patients,” he said.