Nurses call for the MILITARY to be deployed in Australian hospitals to relieve staff as health system 'buckles' under Omicron wave

  • Nurses in Victoria have asked for military support in hospitals across the state
  • Comes as health staff are stretched to the limit due to Omicron strain of Covid
  • Comes after state government recently declared a 'code brown' emergency 
  • The level of emergency will be introduced from 12pm, Wednesday January 19 

By Andrew Prentice For Daily Mail Australia

Published: | Updated:

Nurses have called for the military to be deployed in Australian hospitals as the health system struggles to deal with the Omicron strain of Covid-19.

The Victorian 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 help out hospitals as they struggle 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 (health) 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

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

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)

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)

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 - which comes into effect from 12pm on Wednesday - has been declared in Victoria for all major hospitals.

Under a code brown, hospital staff can be asked to defer their leave and work in different roles as needed, and non-urgent clinical services can be reduced or ceased.  

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 to 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 and has called 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.'

Gilbert went onto state military-trained nurses and doctors could help treat the wave of Victorians expected to arrive at emergency departments over the coming weeks. 

The Victorian government has forecast a huge spike in hospitalisations in February, with projections that 100 new Covid patients could be admitted every day.

Australian Medical Association national president Omar Khorshid said the code brown response in Victoria shows the national policy surrounding healthcare 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 on Tuesday, the largest number since the pandemic began. 

Daily Mail Australia approached the Defence Minister for comment surrounding the proposed role of military staff in hospitals across Victoria. 

What is a code brown?

  • Code brown is a measure to relieve pressure on hospitals
  • It is usually reserved for sudden, short-term emergencies, such as a train crash or bushfire
  • During a code brown, hospitals can cancel their staff’s leave to ensure an adequate workforce is on hand
  • They can also defer less urgent services
  • This code brown in Victoria starts at noon on Wednesday, January 19 and is expected to last between four and six weeks
  • It will apply to all metropolitan public hospitals - with private hospitals able to call their own code brown if necessary

Covid-19Omicron Variant

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