Coronavirus: elective surgery to be phased back in slowly

Elective surgery could return within two weeks after medical colleges opened negotiations with state and federal government.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Brendan Murphy has said, ‘It is very important if we do restart elective activity that we only do it through the confines of our available PPE supplies’. Picture: AAP

Elective surgery in some parts of the country could return within two weeks after medical colleges opened negotiations with the state and federal governments to gradually lift a national suspension.

Procedures that could recommence under the tentative lifting of the federal government’s suspension include surgeries to reduce pain and suffering and treat debilitating injuries.

Royal Australasian College of Surgeons president Tony Sparnon told The Weekend Australian that discussions in the coming week would determine what procedures surgeons believe could be undertaken without putting unnecessary strain on medical resources that would be needed if corona­virus cases spiked.

“It could be up to two weeks for us to have a definitive answer to everything, but there could be some simple procedures with respect to hospital stays and resources that might be able to be done before then,” Mr Sparnon said.

Medical colleges are evaluating inventories of hospital bed cap­acity, personal protective equipment and trained staff to help determine an appropriate time to gradually recommence certain types of elective surgery.

The RACS, which spearheaded a push for a suspension of elective surgeries that came into effect at the start of April, will meet with government health chiefs to discuss the next steps towards lifting the suspension.

Mr Sparnon said the suspension was an “unpopular decision” but had given hospitals a chance to stock supplies and retrain staff.

“It would be great in many ways if it could continue but it has left a lot of patients suffering,” he said. “They can’t walk … and they can’t drive. In many cases, they can’t work. So they need this surgery.”

Beds are empty in hospitals across the country, in preparation for an influx of coronavirus sufferers that has yet to eventuate.

“We want to do it gradually and introduce things that won’t stress the system too much and that can quickly be turned off if you have to,” Mr Sparnon said. “We’re talking about day surgery or surgery that doesn’t require PPE.”

Non-essential operations that would necessitate or risk intensive care would not be carried out until a later date, he said.

The type of surgeries that would be permitted would be up to individual states and hospitals.

“I think it would be a good idea to get the private hospitals up and working, including radiology units and pathology units and all the other carry-on units associated with hospitals,” Mr Sparnon said.

He added that the process would need to be carefully monitored, with surgeons ready to step aside again if high infection rates of the coronavirus returned.

The move comes after Queensland Health Minister Steven Miles said on Wednesday the state wanted to restart elective surgery and screenings as soon as possible.

West Australian Health Minister Roger Cook said any decision would be made after a discussion with the national cabinet.

In a speech on Thursday night, Scott Morrison said the national cabinet would discuss the issue on Tuesday. “There is a bit more work to do on that, but we'll be considering elective surgery on Tuesday,” the Prime Minister said.

The nation’s Chief Medical ­Officer, Brendan Murphy, said recommencing elective surgery would depend on the availability of necessary medical equipment.

“It is very important if we do restart elective activity that we only do it through the confines of our available PPE supplies, so it would have be fairly gentle because we have to ensure we have enough protective equipment,” Professor Murphy said.

“That modelling is being done at the moment.