1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,080 Speaker 1: And as you heard on the show yesterday, we know 2 00:00:02,120 --> 00:00:05,560 Speaker 1: that thirty million dollars worth of damage was sustained after 3 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,119 Speaker 1: a fire broke out at that warehouse in Berrima on 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:12,160 Speaker 1: the weekend. Now, the fire saw medical equipment which supplies supplies, 5 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: i should say Royal dal And Hospital, Palmerston Catherine and 6 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: Gove District Hospitals. It was all damaged. The type of 7 00:00:18,239 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: equipment affected, as we understand, includes disposable sheets for surgery, gloves, 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,960 Speaker 1: cleaning supplies, that kind of thing. Now, the Australian Medical 9 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: Association's Northern Territory Branch President, Doctor Robert Parker, joins me 10 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:35,280 Speaker 1: on the line right now. Good morning to you, Dr Parker. 11 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 2: Greetings from COVID Isolation and Melbourne. 12 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: Oh goodness me, that's no good hope. Are you feeling okay? 13 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:46,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm fine and it's slightly better than how it springs. 14 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 2: You can order some alcohol or a cappuccino. It's from 15 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,519 Speaker 2: your house shops, so. 16 00:00:51,159 --> 00:00:54,560 Speaker 1: Men, you'll take it. You'll take it. Oh well, no 17 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:58,120 Speaker 1: rest for the wicked. Still still working hard, Dr Parker, 18 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: by the sounds of it, and and obviously this situation 19 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:06,000 Speaker 1: with the storage shed going up in flames, over the 20 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: weekend is causing some real issues for Northern Territory health 21 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: right now, what's your take on this? 22 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:14,640 Speaker 2: Well, again, I'm not close to the issue as you'd 23 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,040 Speaker 2: imagine being in Melbourne, but certainly you'd have to wonder 24 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 2: with the everyman view that thirty million dollars of stock 25 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:25,839 Speaker 2: disappearing in one hit and people saying well, everything's going fine, 26 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:28,600 Speaker 2: you'd have to wonder. I mean, obviously they've got enough 27 00:01:28,640 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 2: for a couple of days, but as I pointed out, 28 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 2: you just can't replace thirty indians of dollars of stock quickly, 29 00:01:35,640 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 2: and the exists there's probably a reasonable amount of pressure 30 00:01:39,920 --> 00:01:43,480 Speaker 2: on existing supply lines both within Australia and also I 31 00:01:43,560 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 2: understand that the war in Europe's also impacted the ability 32 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:51,040 Speaker 2: to get material from overseas. I'd imagine the ability to 33 00:01:51,120 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 2: replace an existing stock of that magnitude is going to 34 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 2: be quite difficult in the short term. 35 00:01:58,840 --> 00:02:01,120 Speaker 1: Dr Parker. When you talk about out you know, sheets 36 00:02:01,120 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: for surgery, gloves, cleaning supplies, that kind of thing, a 37 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: lot of us will be thinking, oh, surely it's quite 38 00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: easy to get, but how big an impact will this 39 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 1: have if we do wind up with a short form. 40 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 2: Well, again, the system health system will have to adjust, 41 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:17,640 Speaker 2: and I mean I suppose it's a bit like a 42 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:20,160 Speaker 2: code yellow where you have to adjust things. So I 43 00:02:20,280 --> 00:02:23,120 Speaker 2: presume the first if the system, if the system doesn't 44 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:26,840 Speaker 2: just it probably cancelation of electric surgical lists because again 45 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:29,200 Speaker 2: I tend to use a lot of that disposable stuff. 46 00:02:29,480 --> 00:02:32,680 Speaker 2: So the system will adjust so that the wards will 47 00:02:32,720 --> 00:02:36,640 Speaker 2: probably have made prioritiy on the disposable material and that 48 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,840 Speaker 2: they have to cancel other things to make the system work. 49 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 1: Now, doctor Parker, obviously you are in isolation with COVID, 50 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:46,079 Speaker 1: but have you had much wood, or have you had 51 00:02:46,120 --> 00:02:48,600 Speaker 1: doctors or any of the health stuff from any of 52 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:51,679 Speaker 1: the hospitals get in contact with you and raise concerns 53 00:02:51,760 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: or what are they telling you at this point? 54 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean my my information is that there's not 55 00:02:56,800 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 2: a lot of stock available the territory ten to use 56 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 2: stuff fairly quickly. So we're hoping, as the minister said 57 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:06,360 Speaker 2: that there'll be a plane arriving on Wednesday. We have 58 00:03:06,680 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 2: it's full of full of stuff. There's a transport plane 59 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,280 Speaker 2: arriving and it's got some material on board. But again, 60 00:03:12,320 --> 00:03:15,800 Speaker 2: you know, being able to replace thirty million dollars worth 61 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 2: a material. Very you know, it's a lot of stuff 62 00:03:18,400 --> 00:03:22,000 Speaker 2: to have down the drain, and you wonder, I suppose 63 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,840 Speaker 2: I'm more skeptical about the ability to quickly replace that 64 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:28,640 Speaker 2: material in a usable state. Yeah. 65 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: I think of myself as being skeptical by nature, doctor Parker, 66 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 1: and I feel a bit the same as you. I think, 67 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,080 Speaker 1: you know, surely it's going to take quite some time 68 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: to build up those stock levels again and also be 69 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: a costly exercise. 70 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 2: Well, it's a major to the NT budget. And you 71 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:49,000 Speaker 2: have to wonder about the tender that organize an aging 72 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 2: warehouse in truck City, you know with apparently I'm hearing 73 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 2: no fire retardant or very limited fire retardant in the 74 00:03:56,320 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 2: warehouse to store this material, so people will be running 75 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 2: for cover and healthhouse. Whoever organized a ten and maybe 76 00:04:03,800 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 2: buck in the tabulist the moment? Yeah, and you know 77 00:04:07,000 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 2: it's probably years It all happened years ago, but obviously 78 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,279 Speaker 2: not a particularly good decision. You resume the future decisions 79 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:19,320 Speaker 2: about stories will be better informed about the ability to 80 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 2: deal with another issues. Yeah, well, you know this is 81 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,119 Speaker 2: a if this is an aging warehouse, you'd imagine we've 82 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,560 Speaker 2: got a decent cyclone, the whole thing would have disappeared 83 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 2: as well, So you already wonder anyway. 84 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 1: So doctor Parker, do you think we're in a situation 85 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: here where you know that that location was was potentially 86 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:39,760 Speaker 1: not the best fit for those supplies anyway. 87 00:04:40,880 --> 00:04:43,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, she'd have to wonder, well, exactly, I mean, if 88 00:04:43,000 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 2: it's if it's got very limited or no fire retardant 89 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:48,000 Speaker 2: and you've got thirty million dollars worth of stock in 90 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:52,159 Speaker 2: a flammable stock sitting there, not a particularly good decision, 91 00:04:52,160 --> 00:04:52,839 Speaker 2: I would have thought. 92 00:04:53,240 --> 00:04:56,080 Speaker 1: And look, I'm being told that that tender was potentially 93 00:04:56,160 --> 00:04:59,400 Speaker 1: not too long ago. But have you had obviously you've 94 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: had inside it sort of say to you that there 95 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: wasn't a great deal of fire retardant or or I'm assuming, 96 00:05:04,760 --> 00:05:06,480 Speaker 1: I mean, I don't know whether there was sprinklers or 97 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 1: anything inside to be able to sort of deal with 98 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:09,600 Speaker 1: it when it initially started. 99 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:12,880 Speaker 2: Well, my understanding was it was very limited or no 100 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 2: fire retardant here. Which is it? 101 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:17,320 Speaker 1: Which is a concern it most certainly is. Well, we 102 00:05:17,360 --> 00:05:20,479 Speaker 1: are due to catch up with the department in a 103 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:22,560 Speaker 1: few minutes time, so we'll see what we can what 104 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,239 Speaker 1: we can find out I know I mentioned this before 105 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,200 Speaker 1: about the exercise of having to replace everything being costly, 106 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 1: but do you anticipate that it is going to be 107 00:05:30,080 --> 00:05:33,120 Speaker 1: a pretty expensive thing for us to do? Well? 108 00:05:33,160 --> 00:05:35,880 Speaker 2: Thirty million dollars. Last, my understanding is the territory always 109 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,880 Speaker 2: ensures itself. So that's thirty million dollars of the check 110 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:43,400 Speaker 2: taxpayer's got to front up to replace. And so in 111 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:45,599 Speaker 2: the end, if they had to replace the sixty million 112 00:05:45,600 --> 00:05:48,800 Speaker 2: dollar hip to the territory budget, sixty million dollars that 113 00:05:48,920 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 2: could have spent on something else. 114 00:05:50,240 --> 00:05:52,960 Speaker 1: Well, could have spent within the health department money. Yeah, 115 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,200 Speaker 1: I would have thought that sixty million dollars wouldn't go 116 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 1: wouldn't go astray in terms of ensuring that we've got 117 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:02,320 Speaker 1: adequate resourcing and staffing levels as well within our hospitals 118 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:03,720 Speaker 1: and our other healthcare centers. 119 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 2: Exactly, exactly, well, doctor Robert Parker. 120 00:06:08,040 --> 00:06:10,719 Speaker 1: Always appreciate your time. I do hope that you're feeling better. 121 00:06:10,800 --> 00:06:12,920 Speaker 1: And how many days left in II. 122 00:06:13,480 --> 00:06:14,400 Speaker 2: This charge tomorrow? 123 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:19,039 Speaker 1: So good luck, good luck, good stuff, good on you. Thanks, 124 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:20,720 Speaker 1: doctor Parker. I appreciate your time. 125 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:22,880 Speaker 2: Okay, thanks very much, Thank you.