Elective surgery ramped back at Shellharbour Hospital this week, though Wollongong Hospital's operating theatre staff will remain focused on the COVID-19 threat.
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Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District Director Clinical Operations Margaret Martin said with government restrictions on elective surgery now easing, procedures such as cataract surgery were again being performed at Shellharbour.
However only the most urgent procedures continued to be undertaken at Wollongong, with COVID preparedness that hospital's "number one priority".
"During the COVID-19 response, the district has continued to perform emergency surgery as well as a significant number of urgent elective procedures for cancer and other urgent conditions," Ms Martin said.
"The district has now developed a plan for a gradual increase in elective procedures with a focus on more Category B and some Category C procedures at Shellharbour Hospital.
These include ophthalmology, orthopaedics and general surgery. More stringent pre-surgery screening is being implemented to further safeguard patients and staff at this time.
"Wollongong is currently undertaking almost 40 per cent of its usual surgery caseload and this level will continue.
"This will enable operating theatre staff to continue specialist training to bolster the district's intensive care capability as part of our COVID response."
The latest Bureau of Health Information figures show that from October to December 2019, just over 3250 elective surgeries were performed across the ISLHD.
However at the end of that quarter, 6638 patients remained on the waiting list. Of those, 2733 were awaiting surgery at Wollongong Hospital, and 2170 at Shellharbour.
"Most patients on the waiting list at Wollongong will need to have their operation there, but there are some patients from Wollongong who can be transferred to Shellharbour," Ms Martin said.
"While increasing elective surgery is hugely important for all patients waiting for procedures, our number one priority remains our COVID preparedness."
Ms Martin said down the track, the district would put a range of strategies in place to further reduce the waiting list - including collaborating with local private hospitals to increase elective surgery capacity.
"We've taken a very measured approach to ensure that if Australia experiences a peak in demand like other countries have when social restrictions have been eased - then we are able to respond to that," she said.
"It may seem like we're in a hiatus, but we need to be cognisant of the fact that things can change quite rapidly."
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