On March 25th the Australian Government postponed all non-essential surgeries due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Elective Surgeries Resuming
For the past several weeks thousands of Australians have been left waiting in limbo, with no clear idea on where their surgery will be rescheduled.
The government has since acquired extra PPE (personal protective equipment) and as the coronavirus cases continues to drop, they have announced that they will lift the restrictions on some elective procedures after this weekend.
The government is bringing back all Category 2 surgeries, and some Category 3 surgeries.
This includes surgeries such as IVF procedures, post-cancer operations (breast reconstructions), joint replacements such as knee, hip and shoulder reconstructions, denture fittings and fillings, eye procedures like cataract surgery and endoscopies such as colonoscopies and gastroscopies.
It also includes all procedures for anyone under the age of 18.
The Government has stated the procedures to resume are only those that are unlikely to spread coronavirus to health care workers, but will largely benefit patients.
