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Representatives of the conflicting health sector appear before the Epidemic Response Committee this morning.
Among those to appear are the New Zealand Medical Association, the Elderly Care Association, the Pharmacy Guild, the Disability Support Network and the Dental Association.
Professor and epidemiologist at the University of Otago, Sir David Skegg, will also appear.
Representatives are likely to be asked about issues on the front line and access to personal protective equipment (PPE).
The implementation of the flu vaccine, which saw doctors without up to 10 days without a supply, has been described as a “debacle” and a “total disaster” by the New Zealand Medical Association.
And the second tranche funding block for general practitioners could see some jobless practices and doctors next week.
Kate Baddock, president of the association, who represents physicians in all healthcare settings, introduces herself to the Epidemic Response Committee.
He said problems with rolling out the flu vaccine meant that his practice was suspended for 10 days, while they had 4,000 vulnerable people who needed to vaccinate.
“The flu shot was a complete debacle, there is absolutely no question about it,” Baddock told the committee.
And the news cabinet had halted the second tranche of funding to keep general practitioners will have an immediate impact on practices.
The Herald revealed yesterday that the second half of a $ 22 million financing package had been stopped by the Cabinet, but many GPs were dependent on that money and had already spent it on overhead.
Baddock said they needed to have that decision reversed by the end of the week or practices and the doctors would be out of a job.
Baddock, a GP, also described the struggle to move almost all face-to-face appointments online as “hectic” and “hectic.”
“It was an incredible feat that they were able to accomplish.”
The CEO of the New Zealand Association for the Care of the Elderly, Simon Wallace, said “it seems crazy” that they cannot screen 700 people who enter nursing homes each week when there is the capacity to do so.
Admitted people may not have a cold or sore throat, but they have many underlying health conditions and were at risk.
“If the probability is low, but the severity is high, as with Covid 19, why wouldn’t they do the test?” Wallace said.
“We just don’t understand the reasons for not taking the test.”
He said senior care centers had to shake up DHBs to get PPE at the start of the crisis, and while the situation had greatly improved, there were still pockets still struggling to get the supply they needed.
Facilities should not have to argue with health boards to obtain PPE, Wallace said.
The executive director of the New Zealand Pharmacy Guild, Andrew Gaudin, wants the government to eliminate prescription drug fees.
Many people cannot pay the copayment, so pharmacies are left $ 5 out of pocket each time they give prescriptions to people who need the drug but cannot afford it.
The sector also had to struggle to obtain the proper PPE for its front-line staff, which serves 1.5 million people each month, he said.
“That has already been resolved, but it took too long.”
Many pharmacies had to pay for themselves, he said.
The sector also desperately needs funds because many community pharmacies may end up having to close without government support.
Gaudin said the union had tried to meet with Health Minister David Clark and Director-General for Health Ashley Bloomfield, but neither had been made available.
The committee’s chairman, opposition leader Simon Bridges, said of the representatives: “All these organizations have faced difficulties during the closure, particularly when it comes to accessing the PPE.”
Also on the committee is national party health spokesman Michael Woodhouse, who has also been critical of the government’s handling of PPE and said it was too slow to act.
The Auditor General announced yesterday a review of the distribution of PPE by the Ministry of Health after increasing frustrations for frontline health workers despite assurances from high-level officials.
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The review will assess controls over procurement, distribution to district health boards and other agencies, and stock levels.
CEO of Health Ashley Bloomfield said she appreciated the review and any recommendations it may have.
Skegg will appear before the committee as an independent witness.
