COVID-19 Update

As you are probably aware the Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced that all non-urgent elective surgery will be suspended "until further notice" from midnight on March 26, due to the coronavirus. We are also in a state of lockdown for non-essential services.

We are unsure how long this could last, but we are anticipating up to at least four weeks, though it could be up to six months. We realise that this can be very upsetting, inconvenient, or even causing issues with problematic symptoms. Our team will be doing the best help you during this period and under the trying circumstances that unfortunately surround us all at the moment.

Rest assured however that we are not going anywhere, and your health is our priority. Please be aware however that during this period we will only be likely to be able to do cancer cases or other very urgent surgeries that cannot be delayed. There are many reasons for this including the availability of resources, the safety of the anaesthetic, nursing and surgical teams, the safety of all the staff in the hospital and, of course, the safety of the patients.

David and Ian will have to be on site at the public & private hospitals in Sydney and Brisbane respectively to help patients and colleagues as called upon during this period. The clinic however (primarily in a remote capacity) will still be running and we anticipate having phone access most business days and will have ongoing phone (and occasional on site) clinic reviews with our GP practitioners, dietitian, psychologist and clinical nurse, and the principal surgeons when available. Please note that all telephone consultations during this period with the medical teams and surgeons will be bulk billed. This will also apply to any bariatric program included dietitian and psychologist appointments during this period. When phone contact is not available please email us a concise query at either sydney@martinsurgery.com.au or brisbane@martinsurgery.com.au as relevant.

For those of you who have had operations cancelled or will be cancelled or likely delayed, we will be in contact over the coming days to help you plan and re-book your operations. Please be aware that we’re doing our best and also dealing with unknown timelines and there can be no absolute guarantees with regards to timing at this stage. Nonetheless we will do our best to work with you individually.

We wish you and your families the best during this period. Remember to prioritise your health, fitness and sleep and maintain a positive attitude as best you can during these trying times.

Kind regards,

The Martin surgery teams in Sydney and Brisbane.