South Australia’s health system remains under strain, with code yellow still in effect across metropolitan hospitals.
However, nearly all elective surgeries resumed this afternoon, providing some relief to the overburdened healthcare system.
The resumption came as health ministers from across the country convened in Adelaide to address the pressing issues affecting healthcare systems nationwide.
They met with federal minister Mark Butler following an open letter requesting increased funding.
“There’s no question health systems across the country are under pressure, indeed across the world they’re under pressure” Butler said.
Despite the challenges, some of the strain on South Australian hospitals has eased.
The ban on elective surgeries, which resulted in the postponement of nearly 600 procedures over the past two weeks, has been lifted by 90 per cent, according to Health Minister Chris Picton.
Day surgeries will resume in metropolitan hospitals, although non-urgent category two and three surgeries requiring overnight stays remain suspended.
The state-wide code yellow, which indicates an internal emergency, continues as the health system grapples with a surge in flu and RSV cases, even as COVID-19 cases decline.
“It’s really important that we watch very carefully as we reintroduce elective surgery to make sure we don’t lose the traction on the initiatives that we’ve started,” Dr Robyn Lawrence said.
While there is some improvement to the health system, how long the state-wide code yellow remains in place is unknown.
“The code yellow may well exist after there is no more elective surgery restrictions in place at all to make sure we are utilising all of the care pathways across the system,” Picton said.
This article was produced with the assistance of 9ExPress.
