The McGowan Labor Government has no excuse for the infection control breach which has led to 3 health workers to be placed in self quarantine, according to Liberal Health spokeswoman Libby Mettam.
WA Health confirmed that the service lift was not appropriately cordoned off after it was used to transport a man in his 60s – the captain of the bulk-carrier MV Aquagenie – from the Emergency Department to the Intensive Care Unit Saturday morning. Three staff members, who were not wearing PPE, entered the lift within 15 minutes of the patient transport.
“This seriously raises the question about what the McGowan Government have been doing 12 months into a pandemic, where it can’t effectively manage one patient,” Ms Mettam said
“The fact that we had 3 people potentially exposed as a result of one patient highlights that there are still gaping holes in the PPE policy and the management of infected patients.
“The McGowan Government has had more than a year to prepare and such basic measures and procedures should well and truly be in place.
“It also raises the question of what lessons were learnt from the other known PPE breach back in January, what is the outcome of the review that was promised and have any of those recommendations actually been implemented?
“We are far from “battled hardened” for COVID 19 as our Health Minister would like people to think, if this is how just one case is managed.
“It is certainly a positive that the staff members involved had received their COVID vaccination, but it again raises the question of what is the progress of mandating frontline hotel quarantine workers for COVID 19 vaccinations, which has been talked about for several weeks?
“The McGowan Government often warns the public not to become complacent yet it’s clearly not taking its own advice when it comes to preparedness in the health system.”