Advocacy win: Government to supply PPE to GPs
We've been consistently lobbying for GPs to have greater supplies of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and this week, the Australian Government announced significant quantities of PPE will be made available for GPs across South East Queensland who need to see their patients within their practices.
This decision follows the lockdown of the City of Brisbane, Moreton Bay Region, Redland City, Logan City, City of Ipswich, Shire of Noosa, City of Gold Coast, Lockyer Valley Region, Scenic Rim Region, Somerset Region and Sunshine Coast Region Local Government Areas.
GPs in declared hotspots can request a package of PPE from the National Medical Stockpile through their local Primary Health Network (PHN) from 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.
These items will be made available through the five PHNs relevant to the Commonwealth hotspot, namely:
- Brisbane North;
- Brisbane South;
- Darling Downs and West Moreton;
- Central Queensland, Wide Bay, Sunshine Coast; and
- Gold Coast.
These packages will assist to further supress the COVID-19 infection rate occurring across Queensland.
We are proud to have achieved this result for our members and hope to see the provision of PPE remain in place for all GPs going forward as they continue to deliver frontline health care to our community.