The new Royal Adelaide Hospital is about to take its first surgical patients.
Three ophthalmology patients will have surgery at the $2.4 billion facility on Monday with nine more surgical patients to be treated this week.
The start of surgical procedures also means the hospital will start processing the more than 10,000 medical instruments that will be required each day when it is fully functional.
"Having clean, safe and sterilised instruments is a must-have for any hospital and we just simply couldn't operate the new RAH without the work of the sterilisation team," SA Health Minister Jack Snelling said.
"Seeing the Central Sterile Service Department up and running is an exciting milestone for the new RAH and it shows we're on track as we move towards the official public opening on September 5."
