Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with the AMA's Dr. Robert Parker about how the Territory health system will cope now that the borders are open

Transcript

Katie spoke with the AMA's Dr. Robert Parker about how the Territory health system will cope now that the borders are open · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Well, as we know, today is the day that the
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: territory opens to the rest of the nation, and as
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  Speaker 1: we know, there are some strict testing conditions in place
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  Speaker 1: and sixty six remote communities are exemption zones. But from
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: midnight last night where you could fly or drive into
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  Speaker 1: the Northern Territory from interstate or overseas if you're fully vaccinated.
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  Speaker 1: And having a little look at the arrivals schedule at
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  Speaker 1: the Darwin International Airport website, there does look as though
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: there's quite a few flights due to come in arriving
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  Speaker 1: well from the likes of Brisbane and other places around Australia,
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  Speaker 1: Melbourne and Sydney all the way to Singapore. So just
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  Speaker 1: how prepared are we for the potential of COVID spread
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  Speaker 1: as we do open up well. Joining me on the
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  Speaker 1: line is the head of the AMA, doctor Robert Parker.
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  Speaker 1: Good morning to you, Roberts Hi Kaby, Thanks so much
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  Speaker 1: for your time this morning, Dr Parker, How are you feeling,
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  Speaker 1: as the head of the AMA about the opening of
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  Speaker 1: the territory this morning? To everybody that is vaccinated.
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  Speaker 2: I'm actually unfortunately we've sived some quite deserving us from
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  Speaker 2: Alice springs. That makes me quite pessimistic. The news from
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  Speaker 2: colleagues and Alice Springs is that the COVID has now
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  Speaker 2: gotten into the indigenous communities around the Alice and they're
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  Speaker 2: very concerned about the ability of the health system to
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  Speaker 2: cape a pounding a number of rural coinings of shafts.
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  Speaker 2: There's not enough support apparently for the expected issues of illness.
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  Speaker 2: So there's obviously a fairly critical situation developing right Australia.
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  Speaker 1: So what exactly is happening. What's happening in Alice Springs
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  Speaker 1: at the moment, because I obviously we just caught up
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  Speaker 1: with the local member there for Tenant Creek, but haven't
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  Speaker 1: had a real update from Alice at this stage. So
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  Speaker 1: what are you hearing.
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  Speaker 2: I've heard there's a couple of cases in Alice and
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  Speaker 2: there's also a number of cases and communities such as
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  Speaker 2: alic our Own. So yeah, it's my colleagues and Alice
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  Speaker 2: are very concerned at the moment about the potential for
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  Speaker 2: the further spread. Obviously, once it's in themmunities and with
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  Speaker 2: a low vaccination rates, it's going to probably have a
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  Speaker 2: significant impact and potentially you've got rural health clinics closed
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  Speaker 2: for various reasons. It's can have a major impact on
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  Speaker 2: the health system.
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  Speaker 1: Dr Parker, How many of those clinics around Central Australia
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  Speaker 1: are closed at this point?
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  Speaker 2: My understanding is nine, Katie, but I haven't got that.
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  Speaker 2: That was only information I've received from colleagues now things.
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  Speaker 1: Wow, So nine of those clinics and are you talking
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  Speaker 1: about sort of Central Australian communities or some of the
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  Speaker 1: clinics more around Alice.
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  Speaker 2: No, No, well, central Australian community. It's what I have
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  Speaker 2: been told that.
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  Speaker 1: Is a concern. As you said, there's obviously varying reasons
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  Speaker 1: as to why they're closed. But do you have any
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  Speaker 1: idea as to what some of those reasons are.
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  Speaker 2: No, I don't at the moment. It's sort of almost
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  Speaker 2: only received information a few minutes ago. But it's obviously
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  Speaker 2: very concerning, particularly with the expected entry now of a
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  Speaker 2: lot more people into the territory when there's already a
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  Speaker 2: significant issue in Central Australia.
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  Speaker 1: When you talk about those significant issues in Central Australia,
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  Speaker 1: nine clinics been closed in the communities is obviously one
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  Speaker 1: of the concerns. What about when you look at the
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  Speaker 1: likes of the Alae Springs Hospital. Are we equipped for
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  Speaker 1: an influx of patients?
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  Speaker 2: I would think of this spreads probably not. I woud
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  Speaker 2: think it's going to put a major pressure on hospital
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  Speaker 2: to try and cope. I want to said, this is
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  Speaker 2: information I've received from colleagues or obviously very concerned about
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  Speaker 2: what's about to happen.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that is a real worry and I can hear
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  Speaker 1: it in your voice actually that you do sound concerned.
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  Speaker 1: What are those doctors in Central Australia saying to you
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  Speaker 1: at this point?
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  Speaker 2: Well, of course you know there's very little resource outside
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  Speaker 2: the hospital, which means that people who are ready sick
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  Speaker 2: are going to end up in the hospital potentially overwhelming resources.
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  Speaker 2: So yeah, that was the information. Because of the clan closed,
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  Speaker 2: because of other other resources not potentially being available, it's
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  Speaker 2: going to put a lot of pressure on the hospital
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  Speaker 2: to cope. And again it's likely to be quite major.
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  Speaker 1: What capabilities do they have in Alice Springs for COVID cases?
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  Speaker 1: How many ventilators are there? What capability have they got
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  Speaker 1: there at the hospital?
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  Speaker 2: So Okatie and I think you've probably have to check
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  Speaker 2: with a minister or read sent on in Australia to
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  Speaker 2: get more information on that, I suspect.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Robert, what about for us up here in the
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  Speaker 1: top end, how are you feeling when it comes to
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  Speaker 1: the preparedness of our health system as the border's fling opened.
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  Speaker 2: Well, we've coped, and again the high vaccination rates in
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  Speaker 2: the communities in the top end have been I suppose
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  Speaker 2: it's reassuring that a lot of people have got vaccinated,
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  Speaker 2: which is the best protection. You know, double vaccination with
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  Speaker 2: triple vaccination better because the thing is, if you've vaccinated
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  Speaker 2: and you get the virus, you're less likely to present
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  Speaker 2: on the health system, so you're likely to have mild
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  Speaker 2: symptoms and basically do is and be well with it.
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  Speaker 2: But the problem is people who aren't vaccinated and get
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  Speaker 2: the virus get really sick, and that's put some massive
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  Speaker 2: pressure on the health system to sort of look after
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  Speaker 2: those individuals as well as you know, the wider problems
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  Speaker 2: of transmission in the community.
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  Speaker 1: And I guess we've sort of seen with the cases
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  Speaker 1: that we've had in recent weeks that there are some
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  Speaker 1: that have required hospitalization and have needed quite a lot
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  Speaker 1: of care. There are others that have been able to
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  Speaker 1: stay within the Center for National Resilience and you know,
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  Speaker 1: some of those vaccinated, some unvaccinated. In terms of the
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  Speaker 1: resourcing that we've got at the at the Royal Darwin Hospital,
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  Speaker 1: what kind of you know, what kind of infection rate
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  Speaker 1: are we going to be able to deal with?
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  Speaker 2: Well, Katie, I'm going to again thinks that to be
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  Speaker 2: adjusted and I mean you've got again vaccination will hopefully
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  Speaker 2: prevent people that requiring ventilators and again people will you know,
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  Speaker 2: most of the people have mild symptoms, so hopefully most
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  Speaker 2: people won't require the high level interventions you know that
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  Speaker 2: occurred elsewhere when you've got a whole bunch of people
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  Speaker 2: who haven't beenvaccinated turning up, you know, requiring high level report,
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  Speaker 2: high level respiratory support and ventilation. HM. So you know,
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  Speaker 2: we keep our fingers crossed that most of the individuals
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  Speaker 2: vaccinated we'll only need sort of minimal medical support which
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  Speaker 2: won't put a particular pressure on the health system. And
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  Speaker 2: I mean the hospital always adjust for degree. I mean
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  Speaker 2: we'll where unfortunate people have had operations cancer three or
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  Speaker 2: four times because of the existing level for acuity. And
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  Speaker 2: also you know the need to adjust around COVID, so
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  Speaker 2: the health system will adjust. But the best protection for
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  Speaker 2: everybody is vaccination and more vaccination.
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  Speaker 1: Dr Parker, How concerned are you for Central Australia at
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  Speaker 1: the moment? I know, as as we said right at
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  Speaker 1: the start of this, there's still a lot of that
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  Speaker 1: info that we haven't had confirmed from the Health Minister
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  Speaker 1: at this point. But you've got people on the ground there,
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  Speaker 1: doctors on the ground.
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  Speaker 2: How big a worry is this, Well, I would be
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  Speaker 2: a very concerned given the low vaccination rates already in
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  Speaker 2: the communities there and the way that this does spread
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  Speaker 2: very quickly indigenous communities because of overcrowding and houses and
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  Speaker 2: people moving around the communities. I think there's a very
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  Speaker 2: serious issue about two emergence into Australia. And obviously my
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  Speaker 2: colleagues have worked there for many years and have very
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  Speaker 2: well informed, are very worried about.
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  Speaker 1: Are many people sort of due to go with many
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  Speaker 1: of those health workers due to go on leave as well.
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  Speaker 1: Do you think we've got the staff there to be
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  Speaker 1: able to cope?
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  Speaker 2: Well. Christmas always puts a lot of pressure on the
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  Speaker 2: health system, with a lot of people obviously trying to
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  Speaker 2: connect with families, a lot of people traveling into state
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  Speaker 2: and whatever. So yes, I'm not sure, and I'm sure
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  Speaker 2: there's probably some high level meetings happening within our Springstofts
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  Speaker 2: well at the moment of t and review the situation
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  Speaker 2: of staffing and what's actually occurring.
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  Speaker 1: Well, doctor Robert Parker, I always appreciate your time. Thank
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  Speaker 1: you very much for having a chat with us this
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  Speaker 1: morning and making us aware of what sounds as well.
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  Speaker 1: It's an evolving situation in Central Australia. Hope. Well, we
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  Speaker 1: probably we won't have to talk to you for the
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  Speaker 1: rest of the week, but we may have to. But
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  Speaker 1: either way, if I don't speak to you again before Christmas,
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  Speaker 1: thank you very much for your time all throughout the
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  Speaker 1: year and I hope that you have a great Christmas
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  Speaker 1: and New Year.
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  Speaker 2: You and all your listeners. Katie, thank you,