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Katie Woolf spoke with AMA Australian Medical Association President Dr Robert Parker · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Joining me on the line right now is the AMAS
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: doctor Robert Parker. Good morning to.
• 0:05
  Speaker 2: You, Robert, morning Katie.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for your time this morning, doctor Parker.
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: With these vaccination rates, do you have concerns about the
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: rates at the moment and what is seen as being
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: a lack of transparency for some areas of the territory.
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  Speaker 2: Well, obviously there is a significant concern. I understand there
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  Speaker 2: are parts of the territory where there has been significant
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: resistance to vaccination. I understand there's certain groups who are
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: nameless who are trying to inform the process and try
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  Speaker 2: and get people not to have vaccinations, which I think
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  Speaker 2: is a real concern. I mean, it gets back again
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  Speaker 2: to sources of information and public trust in information. I
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  Speaker 2: think part of the whole is share has been also
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  Speaker 2: the real hiccup in the vaccination strategy from the government
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  Speaker 2: and the current game playing between the FEN and the states,
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  Speaker 2: you know, as part of national cabinet process, and then
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  Speaker 2: the change or target you which is the National Vaccination
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  Speaker 2: group constantly changing the goalposts. But who can receive what
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  Speaker 2: and so in that confusion which I think I think
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  Speaker 2: certainly the general public will deserve a much better inform
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  Speaker 2: process and they're getting Currently it's very easy then for
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  Speaker 2: certain individuals or groups to misinform and to try and
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  Speaker 2: influence vulnerable individuals, which is a real concern.
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  Speaker 1: So do you think that we're going to have issues
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  Speaker 1: trying to get to that eighty percent?
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  Speaker 2: Well, again, I think it's the way you market it.
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  Speaker 2: I mean, I understand there's already been quite a bit
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  Speaker 2: of money it's been on promotion in the territory, but
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  Speaker 2: I've got a different you know, I think there's different
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  Speaker 2: ways you can promote stuff, and I think, particularly with
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  Speaker 2: our indigenous populations, I've been saying maybe we should be
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  Speaker 2: using musicians to develop some catchy tunes very pro vaccination
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  Speaker 2: and maybe combining them with footballers, you know, to say, hey,
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  Speaker 2: your mob get vaccinated, and throw it all together on
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  Speaker 2: social media. And I think that's probably going to be
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  Speaker 2: more effective than worthy individuals showing us there are and
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  Speaker 2: saying get vaccinated, because it become like a bit of
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  Speaker 2: a cultural thing that I'm aware how popular those issues
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  Speaker 2: are in social media. So maybe it just needs to
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  Speaker 2: redesign of the way you're trying to get people vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: Rob do you think as well? I guess the next
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  Speaker 1: step is going to be sort of ensuring that the
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  Speaker 1: Northern Territory and our hospitals are prepared when we do
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  Speaker 1: get to that point when we're at eighty percent, and
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  Speaker 1: you know, the likelihood of us having community will COVID
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  Speaker 1: in the community when we do get to that eighty
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  Speaker 1: percent vaccination rate, I would imagine is going to be
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  Speaker 1: quite high. Are we prepared here in the territory?
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  Speaker 2: Well, again, I think our main problem at the moment
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  Speaker 2: is the indigenous population, which is what you know I
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  Speaker 2: was trying to get out last Thursday with my interview.
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  Speaker 2: You know, there's a lot of co morbid illness, half
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  Speaker 2: of these respiration to these diabetes and what are indigen's population,
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  Speaker 2: which makes them much more vulnerable to the side effects
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  Speaker 2: or the main effects of COVID to even if you
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  Speaker 2: know people are vaccinated, you know COVID at the moment,
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  Speaker 2: it doesn't stop you passing it on, but it does
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  Speaker 2: stop you getting ready sick. So it's and maybe it
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  Speaker 2: does reduce the transmission rate as well. But the problem
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  Speaker 2: is showing you said, well, the hospital beds are getting
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  Speaker 2: filled up with people who are ready sick, so you know,
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  Speaker 2: and people on ventilated so the actual Apart from the
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  Speaker 2: actual community transmission and the number of people who are
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: dying from that in the community, there is also a
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  Speaker 2: very large increased burden on hospital beds. Now, the problem
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  Speaker 2: for the territory is that you know, with our Abiginal
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  Speaker 2: population who have already quite sick and they do get
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  Speaker 2: potentially COVID, even if they're vaccinated, it could potentially make
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: them sicker, which means they've got to go to hospital,
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  Speaker 2: putting increased pressure on our hospital beds. I mean, it's
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  Speaker 2: far better to have the vaccine than not have The
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  Speaker 2: vaccine will probably save your lives, but people still can
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  Speaker 2: get sick from it. And that still puts with our
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  Speaker 2: indigenous population with their very high rates already I mean
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  Speaker 2: of of hospital admission, it's going to put increased pressure
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  Speaker 2: on the hospital health system.
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  Speaker 1: Well. And are we going to be able to cope
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  Speaker 1: with any kind of surge. I know that in recent times,
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  Speaker 1: in the last few months or the last month or two,
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  Speaker 1: we have had a couple of code yellows. Are we
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  Speaker 1: in a situation where we'll be able to cope with
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  Speaker 1: that surge?
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  Speaker 2: Well? The health Department is constantly in discussion about adaptive
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  Speaker 2: ways of doing it, and I'm sure you know, the
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  Speaker 2: hope the Health Department will cope. There's various strategies in place,
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  Speaker 2: and you probably need to talk to the Ministry about this,
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  Speaker 2: about the plans and about other issues for this potential
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  Speaker 2: search capacity. But yeah, I mean there are there are
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  Speaker 2: plans for foot in case this sort of stuff happens.
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  Speaker 2: But the problem is that the you know, as we're
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  Speaker 2: seeing from the Wild Victoria, the current issues in those
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  Speaker 2: states are putting a lot of pressure on health systems.
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  Speaker 2: They're coping, but there's increased pressure on them.
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  Speaker 1: And doctor Parker, how are things going at both well,
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  Speaker 1: the Royal Darwin Hospital and also out at the Palmerston
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  Speaker 1: Regional Hospital at the mint As I mentioned, we know
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  Speaker 1: that there'd been a couple of code yellows in recent times,
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  Speaker 1: firstly at Royal Darwin Hospital and then not so long back,
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  Speaker 1: we're in a situation where the Palmerston Regional Hospital, the
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  Speaker 1: renal ward was off offline for a few weeks. How
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  Speaker 1: are things tracking right now?
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  Speaker 2: Well? Understanding is again that the there's a constant pressure
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  Speaker 2: on the hospital. As I constantly said, you know, the
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  Speaker 2: Minister and a couple of years ago the timer terarity.
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  Speaker 2: Hospitals are the busiest in Australia and they've got you know,
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  Speaker 2: some of the sickest populations in Australia and the territory.
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  Speaker 2: And we can always do with more funding, you know.
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  Speaker 2: But the yes, so there is constant pressure on the
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  Speaker 2: hospital and the hospital and again have Dale. I'm part
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  Speaker 2: of daily reviews where they're looking at bed state and
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  Speaker 2: looking at ways of managing bed state better so that
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  Speaker 2: people who need to need the beds can get them
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  Speaker 2: and what I.
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  Speaker 1: Mean, what areas are sort of undermost strain at the moment.
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  Speaker 1: I know that I'd had a couple of nurses raise
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  Speaker 1: concerns with me that the issue is well more at
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  Speaker 1: Royal daal In Hospital is about what they'd called access blocks,
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  Speaker 1: so about some of those emergency department patients not being
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  Speaker 1: able to get into a hospital bed or that being
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  Speaker 1: delayed I suppose because the hospital is quite busy.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, that's right. You know, people unfortunately do get backed
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  Speaker 2: up in ET if there are no beds on the
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  Speaker 2: med search wards for them. And that's why these meetings
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  Speaker 2: are constantly being held to look that way we patients
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  Speaker 2: can be reviewed plans potential step down facilities for people
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  Speaker 2: so they can be treated but not necessarily in the
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  Speaker 2: hospital bed. There are constantly sort of discussions about that
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  Speaker 2: happening to try and free out those beds so patients
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  Speaker 2: came to move from the EED too, where they can
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  Speaker 2: be more appropriately treated.
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  Speaker 1: And is that something that any hospital would be really
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  Speaker 1: doing any one day anyway or is it or is
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  Speaker 1: it sort of is it busier at Royal daal In hospital?
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  Speaker 2: I understanding well, I mean the stats are the territory
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  Speaker 2: hospitals are some of the busiest in Australia. But my
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  Speaker 2: understanding from fellow AMA presidents is that it's a very
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: difficult situation in most hospitals around Australia, and the AMA
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  Speaker 2: nationally is trying to put health as a significant concern
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  Speaker 2: before the politicians so that they understand. I mean, the
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: problem is that there's always been this potential standoff with
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  Speaker 2: hospitals where the FEDS consider it a state responsibility and
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  Speaker 2: you know, and therefore really refuse to get into the
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: funding issue with hospitals because it's up to the states
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  Speaker 2: to run their hospitals. I mean, that's why I wrote
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  Speaker 2: to the Hunting Treasurer of Fredenberg last year with the
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  Speaker 2: health funding agreements to argue the territory needs more money
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  Speaker 2: with the agreement. Unfortunately, is the five year agreement is
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  Speaker 2: signed off as it was last year, everyone takes a
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  Speaker 2: deep breath and thinks about other stuff, but you know,
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  Speaker 2: signed off, we move on. But the AMA is arguing
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  Speaker 2: obviously that we didn't. We need more money and we
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  Speaker 2: need to constantly, you know, make the federal government aware
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  Speaker 2: that the health system, particularly the public health system, needs
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  Speaker 2: more money.
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  Speaker 1: Well, doctor Rob Parker from the Australian Medical Association here
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  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory, we always appreciate your time. Thank
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: you for having a chat with us this morning. Thank
• 8:09
  Speaker 1: you