ACT health authorities say people with non-urgent problems should stay away from the Canberra Hospital's emergency department, or face a four to six hour wait.
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Canberra Health Services on Tuesday issued a reminder to Canberrans on Facebook, saying "the ED should be for genuinely urgent matters" only.
The health service said the Canberra Hospital was under pressure.
It urged people with non-urgent problems to head to one of four walk-in centres around the territory, or to contact their GP or other primary care provider.
The walk-in centres are at Tuggeranong, Belconnen, the inner-north and Gungahlin.
Ambulances were not being diverted from the Canberra Hospital on Tuesday.
Canberra Health Services' chief executive Bernadette McDonald said early on Tuesday authorities couldn't be certain why the hospital was so busy.
However, she said there had been a slight peak in emergency surgery.
"As happens in hospitals, some days and some weeks are extremely, extremely busy, so we just put out a bit of social media to tell our community that if you don't need emergency treatment ... we do have other options," Ms McDonald said.
"The hospital is extremely busy today in particular and as we get a build up of people coming through, we need to discharge people.
"We just have opened extra capacity today and we're just trying to keep everyone safe and keep the flow going through the organisation, especially through the emergency department."
Ms McDonald said staff at Canberra Health Services were responding to the situation well and she was extremely proud of all employees.
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Cassandra Morgan
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
It has never been more important for Canberrans to be able to access reliable and accurate information about health. As The Canberra Times’ health reporter, I am committed to ensuring our readers have access to this. I, like many in the territory, have family members who work in the sector. Although providing comprehensive coverage on the coronavirus pandemic is obviously my number one priority, I aim to frequently shed light on the fantastic work our frontline professionals do, as well as the challenges they face. Email me tips and story ideas at: c.morgan@canberratimes.com.au.
