❓ Mr. Kirkup questions the Minister for Health regarding resource allocation and funding for hospitals to manage a potential coronavirus outbreak alongside the upcoming flu season. The Minister outlines plans to review flu response strategies and urgent care policies, acknowledging the potential added complexity due to coronavirus.
AnsweredQoN 83Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS
83. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Health:
I appreciate the minister's
response. I have a supplementary question. In advance of the winter flu season,
what additional resources will be required to help manage the response that
might come from a possible coronavirus outbreak, and what additional funding
will be made available to our hospitals to keep the public safe and maintain
existing clinical service delivery during the flu season?
83. Mr Z.R.F. KIRKUP to the Minister for Health:
I appreciate the minister's
response. I have a supplementary question. In advance of the winter flu season,
what additional resources will be required to help manage the response that
might come from a possible coronavirus outbreak, and what additional funding
will be made available to our hospitals to keep the public safe and maintain
existing clinical service delivery during the flu season?
AnswerView source ↗
As the member, and all members,
would be very aware, last year was a particularly busy flu season. Seventy-eight Western Australians lost their lives
to influenza, so we have to be aware that the flu season is a dangerous point
in every calendar year. I will be sitting down with the department in the next
month to talk about its winter flu response plans, in addition to a refresh of
our urgent care clinic policies, which will enable people to get access to the
appropriate level of care in the appropriate period of time. It is important
that we have these plans in place, because as members all know, the flu season
is a difficult time for the health services, but this year there could be an
extra level of complexity associated with that, depending on how this
particular disease outbreak continues in the near future. I hope that the
coronavirus outbreak will have been largely contained in that the crisis we are
currently a part of globally will be over, but we have to accept that it is a difficult
disease. It is not particularly virulent, as we experienced with SARS, but it
is obviously highly infectious, and because of that we have to remain very
vigilant.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.
would be very aware, last year was a particularly busy flu season. Seventy-eight Western Australians lost their lives
to influenza, so we have to be aware that the flu season is a dangerous point
in every calendar year. I will be sitting down with the department in the next
month to talk about its winter flu response plans, in addition to a refresh of
our urgent care clinic policies, which will enable people to get access to the
appropriate level of care in the appropriate period of time. It is important
that we have these plans in place, because as members all know, the flu season
is a difficult time for the health services, but this year there could be an
extra level of complexity associated with that, depending on how this
particular disease outbreak continues in the near future. I hope that the
coronavirus outbreak will have been largely contained in that the crisis we are
currently a part of globally will be over, but we have to accept that it is a difficult
disease. It is not particularly virulent, as we experienced with SARS, but it
is obviously highly infectious, and because of that we have to remain very
vigilant.
The SPEAKER : That is the end
of question time.
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