Nurses have called for the military to be deployed in Australian hospitals as the health system continues to struggle with the Omicron strain of Covid-19.
The Victoria’s nurses’ union are adamant hospitals require urgent military support to keep running after the state government declared a ‘code brown’ emergency on Tuesday.
Deputy Premier James Merlino said the code brown declaration was necessary to provide relief to hospitals struggling to cope with record admission numbers.
‘We have reached a point in our healthcare system where it’s juggling extreme workforce shortages alongside a vast number of patients with Covid-19 who require hospitalisation,’ Mr Merlino said.
‘Alongside that is an extraordinary workforce that are absolutely exhausted.’
Nurses in Victoria have called for the military to work out of hospitals as the health system continues to struggle with the Omicron strain of Covid-19
The Victoria’s nurses’ union are adamant hospitals require urgent military support to keep running after the state government declared a ‘code brown’ emergency on Tuesday (pictured, a paramedic outside St Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne)
Victorian Deputy Premier James Merlino said the code brown declaration was necessary to provide relief to hospitals struggling to cope with record admission numbers as Covid cases numbers continue to rise (pictured, Australian Army personnel)
This is the first time a statewide code brown – to be introduced from 12pm on Wednesday – has been declared in Victoria for all major hospitals.
Hospital and emergency services are at breaking point, with countless medical wards running with skeleton staff due to coronavirus exposure numbers.
As of Tuesday, just over 4000 of Victoria’s public healthcare workers were unable to work because they had been exposed or infected with Covid-19.
The code brown declaration, which applies to all metropolitan as well as six regional hospitals, allows hospitals to cancel workers’ leave and also redeploy staff to priority areas, according to The Age.
Paul Gilbert, assistant secretary at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s Victorian branch, is adamant the declaration isn’t enough, calling on the federal government to urgently introduce military support.
‘We are in a crisis and we need a crisis intervention,’ he said. ‘This is one clear source of additional support that we cannot be lacking.’
Australian Medical Association national president Omar Khorshid said the code brown response in Victoria shows the national policy has failed.
‘Why they let this happen is beyond us,’ he said. ‘This was absolutely predictable.’
The code brown announcement came after Australia recorded 77 deaths from Covid, the largest number since the pandemic began.
