Over 100,000 private hospital staff to be diverted to public system to respond to Omicron

More than 100,000 health staff and up to 57,000 nurses from the private health system will be available to the public sector in Omicron-affected areas around Australia.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the government is activating the private hospitals agreement, which was established in early 2020.

The agreement was designed to support state hospital systems at any time where they may be under significant pressure.

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The announcement comes as Victoria activated a Code Brown emergency measure across all Melbourne public hospitals and major regional facilities, as the healthcare system continues to buckle under pressure amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As Professor Kelly and I were just discussing, we have strong confidence in the Victorian hospital system and strong confidence in its preparedness that there is significant capacity within the system," Mr Hunt said.

"But, of course, workforce challenges not just in hospitals, but in workplaces in any Omicron-affected area, remain the principal challenge.

"So this is a response to that. The private hospitals agreement will see up to 57,000 nurses and over 100,000 staff made available to Omicron-affected areas around the country.

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"The states and territories will where necessary work directly with the staff and with the hospitals themselves.

"Whether it's the large private hospital networks or the smaller private hospitals, it will be up to the states and territories to activate those."