Labor welcomes the COVID-19 health package released today, but we believe in key areas it does not go far enough and is too slow to be rolled out.
The first Australian case of COVID-19 was reported on the 25th of January.
Because the COVID-19 outbreak is a deeply serious and complex situation, Labor has provided bipartisan support for decisions made by the Government and supported the work of the Chief Medical Officer and the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee.
We have made a series of suggestions as to what should be incorporated in the health response. It is good that some of these ideas have been addressed in the Governments package announced today and it is critical that these ideas turn into real action as soon as possible.
But Labor believes the health response outlined today falls short of the response required to urgently prepare and respond for the crisis, leaving gaps in resourcing for primary care, and leaving vulnerable populations more exposed.
Labor continues to stand willing to work with the Government to address these gaps, which include:
- the limited eligibility for patients to access COVID-19 telehealth services. Labor believes that given the intent of the package is to not only treat, but to contain the virus, such services should be more widely available.
- the delay of pop up clinics to be operational when the health system is under strain. The Government has indicated these clinics may take up to 6 weeks to be operational, and there are already hundreds of patients waiting for hours to be tested at existing facilities.
- the delay and continued confusion on resourcing health professionals with personal protective equipment including masks
- the confusion around circumstances in which health professionals should be tested for the disease, noting the AHPPC is still considering this issue
- the continued lack of clarity around support for innovative pathology models, such as visits to homes and aged care facilities
The Government needs to address the gaps in their COVID-19 response urgently.
Labor will continue to provide bipartisan support for the handling of COVID-19 wherever possible.
And Labor will continue to listen to the sector and communities, and will share concerns when we think the Government has fallen short on their response.
A lot rides on the governments response to COVID-19 and we will continue to engage fully with all parts of the health sector and make suggestions for improvements.
