ELECTIVE surgery will resume across Limestone Coast hospitals amid the lifting of restrictions by the National Cabinet.
But it will be a gradual restart given surgery lists will have to be reorganised and the ongoing COVID-19 challenges facing health care facilities.
Joint replacements, cataracts as well as colonoscopies and endoscopes are among low risk procedures that will be re-introduced at Mount Gambier, Millicent and Naracoorte hospitals.
Elective surgery lists were cancelled to free up hospital beds amid fears of an influx of COVID-19 patients.
Figures released yesterday show 140 people had been tested at the Mount Gambier drive-through COVID-19 clinic since Thursday, April 16, which was the start of the two-week statewide testing blitz.
Prominent orthopaedic surgeon Barney McCusker yesterday welcomed the decision to reinstate some elective surgery in the region.
He said this would be particularly important for patients who needed surgery to identify and detect cancer.
Generally, he said the reinstatement of elective surgery would be introduced sequentially.
“We have no playbook where we are going. Health services will need to pick their way through this slowly,” Mr McCusker said.
While Australia had flattened the COVID-19 infection rate curve, he urged regional residents to download the tracing app that would be launched by the Federal Government.
He said this was a crucial tool in detecting and controlling the virus so further restrictions could be rolled back.
Limestone Coast Local Health Network executive director of medical services Dr Elaine Pretorius also welcomed the looming return of elective surgery to the region’s hospitals.
However, she said surgery would be gradually reinstated given it was a “big undertaking” to reorganise theatre lists.
“It is easier to start lists than reinstate lists,” the regional medical chief said.
Dr Pretorius said the gradual return of elective surgery was good news for patients who had been waiting for a procedure.
“All of a sudden elective surgery was postponed for people who were next on the list,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dr Pretorius said COVID-19 testing was continuing across the region, which had recorded seven confirmed cases.
She revealed SA Pathology had been testing up to 40 people per day at the COVID-19 drive-through clinic at Mount Gambier Hospital, but had detected no new positive cases.
Dr Pretorius said these results indicated there was no community transmission in the region.
“This is fantastic news for the community,” she said.
Asked about whether parents should send their children to school, she said parents needed to weigh up this carefully ahead of next week.
Dr Pretorius said the decision should be based on family circumstances, whether parents needed to go back to work and how well the school was implementing COVID-19 measures.
Elective surgery suspensions will start to be lifted after the Anzac Day weekend.
