The Wire

Elective surgery appointments in Western Australia will be put off for a least a month according to the state’s health department, to allow Western Australian hospitals to manage severe pressure. The State Opposition released figures last week showing a Perth hospital recorded over 490 code yellows in the last twelve months. A code yellow occurs when a hospital cannot manage demand, preventing more patients from being admitted. Despite no cases of Covid-19 in the community, public hospitals in city areas have stopped taking bookings for multi-day non-urgent category two and three elective surgeries. It comes as medical experts warn that the state’s hospital system is ill-prepared to cope if an outbreak of the Delta variant were to occur.