Short term its a disaster. Not on the same level as the most affected retailers but it will be over 50% decline until lockdown ends.

Its hard to get through to Medical Centres due to staffs / doctors simply refusing to work and people are calling in asking what to do with Covid-19 and whether they should get tested and how.

Healthcare sector woes amid coronavirus chaos as pathology workers stood down

Pathology services across the state have begun standing down workers, with private hospitals set to follow suit after the government’s ban on elective surgery comes into force next week.

James Campbell

Herald SunMARCH 26, 20204:02PM

Pause

Loaded: 83.36%

Current Time 0:10

/

Duration 1:11

Fullscreen

NOW PLAYING

Resume

See how soap rips apart Coronavirus

1:11

UP NEXT

• 

  BREAKING: Prince Charles, 71 tests positive for Coronavirus

  0:35

• 
  

  

  Tiktok video roasts Australian virus response

  0:15

• 
  

  

  Coronavirus latest: Cops bring takeaway to 95-year-old, priest acciden...

  2:40

• 

  ...

• 

  ...

• 

  ...

• 

  ...

Take a look at how soap acts as one of our best defenses against the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pathology services across the state have begun standing down workers, with private hospitals set to follow suit after the government’s ban on elective surgery comes into force next week.

Australian Clinical Labs yesterday told staff they will shutter 247 of their 395 collection centres from Monday, with staff told they must choose to take annual, long service or unpaid leave.

The company’s main competitor, Dorevitch Pathology, is also understood to have asked its staff to take leave and to wind down their hours.

In a memo to staff on staff Australian Clinical Labs CEO Melinda McGrath said “unfortunately, and counterintuitively” pathology companies were not immune to current economic downturn.

“While we are seeing accelerated activity in obvious areas, many people have reduced their routine testing activities,” she said.

A Medical Scientist with SA pathology, working with a deactivated specimen of coronavirus preparing the sample for testing. Picture: Tricia WatkinsonSource:News Corp Australia

The move coincides with expected lay-offs in private hospitals in the wake of the decision to ban all non-urgent elective surgery from next Wednesday night.

The imminent end of elective surgery has thrown the private hospital system into financial crisis as most its income comes from elective surgery.

While it is understood that no private hospitals have started laying off staff yet, the Herald Sun has been told meetings have been taking place across the sector about what to do with staff for whom there is no work