More PPE heading to Tasmania

Sarah Courtney,Minister for Health

Ensuring our frontline staff are as well protected as possible against COVID-19 is an absolute priority for both the THS and the Tasmanian Government.

This week a new senior position has commenced within the Health Emergency Coordination Centre, specifically responsible for overseeing the management and logistics of personal protective equipment (PPE). This means our PPE is now being even more closely monitored and coordinated as we meet the challenges posed by global PPE supply shortages, and comes on top of usual hospital PPE procurement and supply coordination.

We are continuing to actively manage and promote the use of PPE in our facilities, in line with the evidence-based national COVID-19 infection prevention and control recommendations from the AHPPC. Our guidelines are being constantly reviewed to ensure they are meeting the needs of our services and staff.

I have been assured there are regular checks in our health facilities to ensure supplies are being maintained throughout the day.

We have also moved quickly to secure additional supplies of PPE for our health system, with:

  • An extra 6,000 single use gowns per month;
  • More than 20,000 litres of hospital-grade hand sanitiser to come over the next few weeks; and
  • Delivery of 91,000 surgical masks and 72,000 P2 masks from the National Medical Stockpile.

We will continue working to make sure our frontline health staff have the equipment they need to undertake their crucial work.

/Public Release. View in full here.