Surgery wait lists at Southland Hospital continue to grow as Covid-19 exacerbates bed blocks and workforce shortages. Southland and Dunedin hospitals were forced to cancel more than 100 surgeries during the height of the Southern Omicron outbreak. Between March and April, 50 operations had to be postponed because of bed blocks, while 58 were cancelled because of Covid-19 and staff sickness. Southern District Health Board chief operating officer Hamish Brown said Southland Hospital had been hardest-hit. The DHB was using all possible outsourcing opportunities, he said, while four additional beds had been opened at Southland Hospital in April.

Source: Stuff June 06, 2022 09:41 UTC