The Australian Government has announced this week that significant quantities of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) will be made available for GPs, community pharmacies and other healthcare providers across Greater Melbourne, Moorabool Shire, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire, Borough of Queenscliff and Bass Coast Shire who need to see their patients within their practices.
It’s said that health professionals in these areas are able to request a package of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile (NMS) through their local Primary Health Network (PHN) with an initial allocation of up to:
- 725,000 surgical masks;
- 725,000 N95 masks;
- 175,000 pairs of gloves;
- 175,000 gowns; and
- 175,000 goggles.
Reportedly, these will be made available through the five PHNs relevant to the Commonwealth hotspot, namely:
- North-western Melbourne;
- Eastern Melbourne;
- South-eastern Melbourne;
- Western Victoria;
- Gippsland.
These packages will assist to further suppress the Covid-19 infection rate occurring across Melbourne and builds on the recent commitment to support NSW throughout the recent outbreak.
The Australian Government says it is committed to ensuring that healthcare professionals have access to the critical PPE supplies they require to continue to safely see their patients during this Covid-19 outbreak.
