❓ The Minister for Health outlines the McGowan government's strategies to ensure WA hospital staff have access to PPE, focusing on local manufacturing initiatives and support for WA businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AnsweredQoN 262Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
CORONAVIRUS —
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
262. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the impact that COVID-19
is having on supplies of personal protective equipment. Can the minister
outline to the house how the McGowan government is ensuring that WA's
dedicated hospital staff have access to the highest standard of personal
protective equipment? Furthermore, can the minister advise the house how this
work is benefiting local businesses?
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT
262. Ms J.J. SHAW to the Minister for Health:
I refer to the impact that COVID-19
is having on supplies of personal protective equipment. Can the minister
outline to the house how the McGowan government is ensuring that WA's
dedicated hospital staff have access to the highest standard of personal
protective equipment? Furthermore, can the minister advise the house how this
work is benefiting local businesses?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for the
question. It is an important one because, as we know, one of the consequences
of COVID-19 is that there is a global rush for supplies of PPE. Despite the
fact that we are doing well with keeping infection rates down in Western Australia,
we are competing with the rest of the world, who are suffering a crisis of
their health systems, in trying to access important personal protection
equipment for our health workers. It is important to protect our healthcare
workers and our staff. The threat to global supply chains is having a significant
impact on our ability to not only undertake COVID-19 related tasks, but also to
get back on with the important task of elective surgery and other essential
services that are undertaken by the public health system.
It has been absolutely heartening
and, in fact, delightful to see the innovation and the work being done by manufacturers in Western Australia under the
guidance and leadership of the Chief Scientist, Professor Peter Klinken, to see what we can do ourselves and to see what we can produce in Western Australia
to make sure that we are not so reliant on those heavily disrupted supply
chains. Recently, I visited a local company in Malaga, in the seat of the
Minister for Transport, which is producing high-quality face shields. There is
a strong demand for these items, as they protect the healthcare worker from any
aerosol-related COVID-19 infections. The local manufacturer, which is headed by
Fas from Adarsh Australia, assisted by Dunlop, is to produce up to 10 000 face
shields, which will help the WA Health system maintain ongoing supplies. Two
types of shields will be produced—standard shields to be used by
general staff, as well as a more specialised design for ear, nose and throat
surgeons. The new venture has been led by biomedical engineers in the East
Metropolitan Health Service in their Centre for Implant Technology and
Retrieval Analysis—CITRA—who will oversee the production and
sponsor the manufacturing. They are led by Mr David Morrison and his
colleagues, who are some of the unsung heroes of our health system. CITRA is a six-member
team based at Royal Perth Hospital and is internationally renowned for its
expertise in assessing the safety and quality of medical products and devices.
This venture will ensure that locally made equipment, which has been approved
by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, meets the high safety and quality
standards required for hospitals. Members of the team began investigating the
feasibility of producing PPE after recognising that their expertise could be
applied to assist the local COVID-19 response. This is a great example of how
WA businesses are diversifying during these difficult times and how the McGowan
government is doing everything we can to support small businesses and keep
people employed.
WA Health is also working with
other government agencies to streamline the engagement process with potential
suppliers of required products. This will reduce our reliance on overseas
supply and boost local industry as part of our response to the COVID-19
pandemic. We have already seen manufacturers in Queensland, South Australia,
and Victoria re-equipping and re-tooling their businesses to try to provide a safe
sovereign supply of facemasks. This is obviously a great example of other
industries right across Australia, but particularly here in Western Australia,
doing their bit to try to secure a solid supply chain for not only the Western Australian
health system, but also other health systems around Australia.
Another example of the way that the
McGowan government is supporting local industry is Western Australian business
Wild Child Laboratories, which is also based in Malaga, the seat of the
Minister for Transport, the member for West Swan, which will produce and
deliver 200 000 bottles of hand sanitiser to WA hospitals throughout the year.
This will boost the state's supply by up to 40 weeks, based on the 5 000
bottles a week used in our hospital system. Wild Child Laboratories will
produce hand sanitiser in alignment with the WA Health specifications, which go
beyond the Therapeutic Goods Administration's requirements.
Under the leadership of Professor
Peter Klinken we are also looking at the supply, through local manufacturers,
of isolation gowns and ventilators in the event that they are needed for the
COVID-19 crisis. This is a great example of WA businesses and the McGowan
government working together to keep jobs and secure vital PPE for our
hardworking healthcare workers.
question. It is an important one because, as we know, one of the consequences
of COVID-19 is that there is a global rush for supplies of PPE. Despite the
fact that we are doing well with keeping infection rates down in Western Australia,
we are competing with the rest of the world, who are suffering a crisis of
their health systems, in trying to access important personal protection
equipment for our health workers. It is important to protect our healthcare
workers and our staff. The threat to global supply chains is having a significant
impact on our ability to not only undertake COVID-19 related tasks, but also to
get back on with the important task of elective surgery and other essential
services that are undertaken by the public health system.
It has been absolutely heartening
and, in fact, delightful to see the innovation and the work being done by manufacturers in Western Australia under the
guidance and leadership of the Chief Scientist, Professor Peter Klinken, to see what we can do ourselves and to see what we can produce in Western Australia
to make sure that we are not so reliant on those heavily disrupted supply
chains. Recently, I visited a local company in Malaga, in the seat of the
Minister for Transport, which is producing high-quality face shields. There is
a strong demand for these items, as they protect the healthcare worker from any
aerosol-related COVID-19 infections. The local manufacturer, which is headed by
Fas from Adarsh Australia, assisted by Dunlop, is to produce up to 10 000 face
shields, which will help the WA Health system maintain ongoing supplies. Two
types of shields will be produced—standard shields to be used by
general staff, as well as a more specialised design for ear, nose and throat
surgeons. The new venture has been led by biomedical engineers in the East
Metropolitan Health Service in their Centre for Implant Technology and
Retrieval Analysis—CITRA—who will oversee the production and
sponsor the manufacturing. They are led by Mr David Morrison and his
colleagues, who are some of the unsung heroes of our health system. CITRA is a six-member
team based at Royal Perth Hospital and is internationally renowned for its
expertise in assessing the safety and quality of medical products and devices.
This venture will ensure that locally made equipment, which has been approved
by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, meets the high safety and quality
standards required for hospitals. Members of the team began investigating the
feasibility of producing PPE after recognising that their expertise could be
applied to assist the local COVID-19 response. This is a great example of how
WA businesses are diversifying during these difficult times and how the McGowan
government is doing everything we can to support small businesses and keep
people employed.
WA Health is also working with
other government agencies to streamline the engagement process with potential
suppliers of required products. This will reduce our reliance on overseas
supply and boost local industry as part of our response to the COVID-19
pandemic. We have already seen manufacturers in Queensland, South Australia,
and Victoria re-equipping and re-tooling their businesses to try to provide a safe
sovereign supply of facemasks. This is obviously a great example of other
industries right across Australia, but particularly here in Western Australia,
doing their bit to try to secure a solid supply chain for not only the Western Australian
health system, but also other health systems around Australia.
Another example of the way that the
McGowan government is supporting local industry is Western Australian business
Wild Child Laboratories, which is also based in Malaga, the seat of the
Minister for Transport, the member for West Swan, which will produce and
deliver 200 000 bottles of hand sanitiser to WA hospitals throughout the year.
This will boost the state's supply by up to 40 weeks, based on the 5 000
bottles a week used in our hospital system. Wild Child Laboratories will
produce hand sanitiser in alignment with the WA Health specifications, which go
beyond the Therapeutic Goods Administration's requirements.
Under the leadership of Professor
Peter Klinken we are also looking at the supply, through local manufacturers,
of isolation gowns and ventilators in the event that they are needed for the
COVID-19 crisis. This is a great example of WA businesses and the McGowan
government working together to keep jobs and secure vital PPE for our
hardworking healthcare workers.
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