During the course of the pandemic, we have seen elective surgeries delayed to free up hospital resources. This has left many Australians living in chronic pain, while orthopedic and neurological surgeons sit idle and surgery wards lie empty.
Another group that has been shafted by the COVID pandemic are cancer sufferers, where a reduction in screenings has resulted in referrals to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne falling by 40% cent in 2021:
Cancer screening dropped by 10% in Victoria alone in the first year of the pandemic. In 2021, referrals to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, a leading treatment and research facility in Melbourne, were down 40%.
