Patients in line for elective surgeries face a longer wait after procedures were put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Only category one and some urgent category two surgeries will take place this week, and all other procedures will be rescheduled.

Hollywood Hospital surgeon, Dr Jonathan Spencer, said it has left both patients and doctors confused.

“The difficulty is that many patients who have organised elective surgery have done this many weeks and months in advance, and it is a very stressful experience for them,” he told 6PR’s Liam Bartlett.

“It might involve flights, it might involve overnight stays, they have to organise time off work … it is a very big financial imposition for them.

“It is not a straight forward thing just to not do at a moments notice.”

This is the second time elective surgery has been paused after the state government put a hold on non-urgent surgeries at the height of the pandemic last year.

“The first time that the lockdown occurred and we had an elective surgery ban, we understood,” he said.

“The reason being is that we were trying to preserve beds for what was perceived to be a large wave of COVID.

“This time we are not sure.

“It would be very helpful, for us as doctors, if we did understand exactly why the elective procedures had been cancelled at such short notice.”

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(Photo: iStock by Getty Images.)