Elective surgeries set to return in Mildura

PLANNING is underway to allow a small but safe increase in the number of elective surgeries in Mildura, after the Victorian Government announced a reintroduction of non-urgent surgery.

The Health Minister announced that from this week, public and private hospitals would begin more elective surgeries, where it is safe to do so, following a slowdown of new coronavirus cases.

Mildura Base Hospital Director of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Dr Alison Walker said the Government had stipulated which extra cases could be done, in addition to Category One and Category Two urgent cases.

“They include things such as critical dental work, cataract surgery, surgery for people under 18 years of age and joint replacements,” Dr Walker said.

“The surgeries need to fall into the Government’s priority categories, and they need to be assessed as low risk procedures, with high value outcomes for the patient,” she said.

Most category two and all category three and four procedures across Victoria were put on hold to protect patients and workers and preserve personal protective equipment for the expected increase in demand in coronavirus cases.

“Because of the slowing of the spread of the virus we’ve had time to prepare and some procedures are now able to recommence,” Dr Walker said.

Dr Walker said emergency operating procedures triaged as Category One and urgent Category Two have continued to be undertaken at MBH throughout the crisis.

“We’ll continue to be screening elective surgery admissions and we are now able to plan for a small number of additional cases,” she said.

“They’ll be a mixture of the allowable extra surgeries, with some of the procedures to be undertaken at the Mildura Private Hospital, under the arrangements that are in place as a result of COVID-19,” she said.

“We’re fortunate to have had the partnership of the Mildura Health Private Hospital through this time and it’s a welcome extra resource that will help us recommence non-urgent surgeries.”