General manager, director of nursing Sharon Lown explained that with the restrictions imposed on non-urgent elective surgery, Orange Private Hospital was able to identify team members who would be available to supplement staff in the public domain.

After completing orientation on Monday, registered nurses Sandeep Kaur, Anjukala Rai, Bibek Thapa, Ashmita Ranjit and Amandeep Gill were working in a range of clinical areas, including coronary care, surgical and medical wards.

Operating theatre technician Aaron Langlands and sterilization technician Judy Anderson are also being deployed.

"Nexus [managers of Orange Private Hospital] is a strong believer of collaboration between the private and public healthcare sectors and the important role this plays in delivering better patient outcomes," Ms Lown said.

"Stepping in to assist with the COVID-19 response in Orange is a great illustration of the way the two systems can work together and maximise the available resources, and we'll continue to look for opportunities to work together in the future."

Orange Health Service General Manager Catherine Nowlan said the hospital was grateful for the chance to collaborate for the benefit of the community and the support of its staff.

"COVID-19 has had an impact on all healthcare services and working together like this will help us continue to provide first-class rural health care for all our patients, not just those with COVID-19," she said.

Earlier this month Health Minister Greg Hunt reiterated a deal struck over a year ago for the private sector to deploy its staff into public hospitals with almost 57,000 nurses expected to be made available. This was also extended to aged care.

The trade-off includes the federal government supporting private hospitals while elective surgery, their main stream of revenue, was cancelled.

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