Latest / 360 with Katie Woolf / Katie spoke with Palmerston GP Superclinic CEO Robyn Cahill about the change from PCR to RAT testing requirements in the NT

Transcript

Katie spoke with Palmerston GP Superclinic CEO Robyn Cahill about the change from PCR to RAT testing requirements in the NT · 360 with Katie Woolf

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: We learned yesterday through that press conference with the Acting
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Chief Minister, Nicole Madison, that there is going to be
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: some changes when it comes to testing, not only here
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: in the Northern Territory, but it sounds as it's going
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: to be changes right around the nation and essentially recent
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: arrivals will self administer those rapid antigen tests on day
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: three and day six of arriving in the Northern Territory
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: rather than lining up for a PCR test. You do
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: still need to make sure that you've had a PCR
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: test if you are returning into the Northern Territory, so
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: seventy two hours before you return to the territory. But
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: joining us on the line to tell us a little
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: bit more about how this is going to sort of
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: happen from that real operational perspective, Well, it is Robin Karl,
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: the CEO of the Palmerston GP Superclinic. Good morning to.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: You, Robin, Good morning Katie.
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: Robin. You called it early when we spoke to you
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: earlier in the week. You had seid that maybe we
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: need to move down this path, and well that's the
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: path that they seem to be going down.
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: Now and thank goodness for that. I think it was
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: a very very smart move to make that change yesterday,
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: and I think there are a lot of very relieved
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: people because getting a PCR test has proven extremely difficult
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: for people who've come into the territory and also for
• 1:20
  Speaker 2: the people who are working to actually do those tests.
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: It's been just an absolute nightmare few days. So I
• 1:27
  Speaker 2: think there are a lot of very relief people this
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: morning because we now have a situation that is going
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: to be far more manageable.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Robin. How big an impact will this have in a
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: positive way for those laboratories and for pathology in you know,
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: when it comes to sort of processing those tests.
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: I think it's absolutely critical. One of the biggest challenges
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: that we were finding over the last few days is
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: that the people who truly needed a PCR test, so
• 1:52
  Speaker 2: those people who are unwell and showing symptoms, were really
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: struggling to access them. So the whole system that's designed
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: to assist people who are unwell was absolutely not able
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: to do that. Now we've got a situation where those
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: people are going to get the priority that they deserve
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: so we can find out what's going on with them.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: And really we should be focusing not just in the territory,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: but across the country on those people who are unwell
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: and those people who need hospitalization. We really need to
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: start thinking about stop counting how many people are having
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: COVID tests, and we also need to start asking a
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: question about what's the validity of testing people who are
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: asymptomatic if they've possibly been out and about in the
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: community with omicron, which they're saying now is infectious period
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: in the first couple of days. By the time they
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: go to have a test, it's too late anyway. So
• 2:43
  Speaker 2: we really are in that position now where we really
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: do need to start rethinking our strategy and our approach
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: to COVID and how we manage it, and we really
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: started to need to start focusing on those people who
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: are unwell and looking after them.
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: Robin. At this point in time, has there been much
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: communication from the government with these changes to the likes
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: of the Palmeston GP Superclinic in terms of where people
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: can get those rat tests from. Do you just go
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: to the chemist and buy your own Are you meant to,
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: you know, to come into the likes of the GP
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Superclinic to collect them? How's it all going to work?
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: It has been a little bit frustrating, I think because
• 3:23
  Speaker 2: most people who've gone to the anti government website will
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: see that it's basically saying hold on the information's coming soon. Fortunately,
• 3:31
  Speaker 2: I do actually have a good line of communication with
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: the department, and I have been able to check with
• 3:36
  Speaker 2: them this morning about what the processes will be. So generically,
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: people arriving are going to be given their rapid andergin
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: tests so that they're able to comply with the testing regime.
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: That people who are already here have the opportunity to
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: book at Marra drives through to collect a rapid andergin
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: test skit. And we've also been advised this morning that
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: we're approved to be able to distribute those rapid andergin
• 3:59
  Speaker 2: tests kits as well, So I'm very pleased about that
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: because it will make it some more accessible for people.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: And of course the other alternative is people don't want
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: to travel to themar or they don't want to come
• 4:09
  Speaker 2: out to Palmerston, they can actually purchase one at your
• 4:13
  Speaker 2: local chemist. And I understand that there's going to be
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: a process implemented to enable people to demonstrate that that
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: actually complied with the requirement to have the rat test.
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: And I'm not clear on the actual parameters of that yet,
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: but I'm sure we'll see something on the Anti Government
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: website within the next couple of hours. We'll make it
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: a little clearer for people.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: Yeah, sometimes it does seem to take a little while
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: for that information that's announced at a press conference to you
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: to go on those official channels for everyday people to
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: be able to jump on and sort of have a
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: look and have a read of how it's all going
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: to work.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: Yeah, there really is a sense of running to keep
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: up with some of these things, and I think probably
• 4:54
  Speaker 2: one of the greatest challenges that we've experienced in the
• 4:57
  Speaker 2: last six to eight weeks is the communication has lagged
• 5:01
  Speaker 2: behind the announcements, and I'm really not sure why that's happened.
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: One would hope that there's collaboration going within the Northern
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Territory government with the departments who have been tasked to
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: do this work. And I know that the people in
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: those departments are working really really hard to get things
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: in place, So it would just be great if we
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: could do things at the same time. So it'd be
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: great if there was a press announcement and then within
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: the next half hour everything went live on the website
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: for whatever reason that's not happening at the moment, but
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: where we can, we'll get the information out and let
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: people know what's going on. But the good news is
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: people can go and get their kit at Marara. They
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: can come to our clinic and collect a kit and
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: gets almost their Christmas.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah, hold it absolutely and Robin, are they they're free
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: to pick up as.
• 5:49
  Speaker 2: Well, are they? That's correct? Yes, So when we've been
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: provided with kits by the department to be able to
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: hand people, I think the one remaining thing that's going
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: to be quite challenging across the country is this requirement
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: to have the full PCR test within the seven is
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: two hours before you arrive in whichever state or territory
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: you have to do that for here in the territory,
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: it's everybody in no matter where they come from. I'm
• 6:13
  Speaker 2: getting some feedback from people who have arrived and have
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: come here for the subsequent tests that it's been a
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: little difficult for them to get tests in some of
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: the interstate testing facilities. Becauses the demand that's being put
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: onto those testing facilities as well. So hopefully we'll see
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: a similar situation in other states and territories where there's
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: a bit more of a move to the rapid and
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: and testing so that alleviates the burden on the pathology
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: system as well as the testing facilities.
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, at these times we're sort of seeing each
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: and every day there's massive changes, you know, each and
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: every day and each and every week, So it may
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: only be a matter of days, Robin. We'll have to
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: wait and see.
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: True enough. And I think one of the other things
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: that's worth mentioning good new is out of the UK
• 6:59
  Speaker 2: today finding that the initial data is showing that ONM
• 7:04
  Speaker 2: kron is having a reduced hospitalization compared to DELTA. So
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: I think if we keep progressing down that track, we'll
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: just see life a step closer to manageable and more
• 7:14
  Speaker 2: what we consider normal in the not too distant future,
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: which will be a great release to everybody.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: It sure will be. Well, Robin Carl, the CEO of
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: the Palmerston GP Superclinic, thanks so much for your time
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: this morning. Thanks so much for your time all throughout
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: the year as well. We really appreciate it and I
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: hope you have a lovely Christmas.
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: Absolute pleasure Coating and the same to you.
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: Thank you