Victoria’s Code Brown will lift at midday today, but a surgeon says it’s a more limited surgery return than most people realise.

Under the new rules, private hospitals in Melbourne can perform up to 50 per cent of all surgery, while regional private hospitals can carry out up to 75 per cent.

Regional public hospitals can also resume all category two elective surgery.

But vascular surgeon, Dr Sue Morris, says Category 1 surgeries, which were already permitted, count towards the percentage caps.

“Now you have to include the Category 1 patients so in fact it’s not a true increase of 50 per cent because we were already able to do the category 1 patients,” she told Neil Mitchell.

Dr Morris says hospitals have interpreted the new rules in a variety of ways, so there’s no consistency across the health system.

“Unfortunately tomorrow’s list … has been cancelled for me as this particular hospital have interpreted the government’s directive as you’re only allowed a list every second week if you’ve got a weekly list,” she said.

“Other major hospital groups have interpreted it as you can have your list as implicated in your normal roster but at 50 per cent of the normal patients.”

Dr Morris says the lack of consistency means it’ll take longer to reduce lengthy waits for elective surgery.

She says it’ll take “months, if not a year” for the system to catch up.

Press PLAY below to hear more about the surgical situation