AMA (NSW) President: For the sake of our patients and our healthcare workers, it’s time to lock NSW down

AMA (NSW) President, Dr Kean-Seng Lim, says the NSW Health system needs more time to prepare for COVID-19 and we need stronger physical distancing measures to do it.

“Despite the best efforts of health staff and NSW Health, we need more time to prepare for the impacts of COVID-19 when it hits in earnest.

“We need to limit the numbers to give us time to prepare the health system”

 “This means we need stricter physical distancing measures implemented as soon as possible.

 “I’m also calling for a central point of command within the NSW health system.

“We have a devolved power structure where Local Health Districts manage their own areas and this works under normal circumstances, but not during a pandemic. 

“More needs to be done to prevent the spread of COVID-19 – there is no cure, treatment, or vaccine, all we can do is slow it down.

“Our doctors and other healthcare workers are concerned by uncertainty about access to personal protective equipment (PPE). 

“It’s imperative that we provide the best protection available to doctors and nurses and, at the moment, we don’t have clear information from any level of government about the quantity and type of PPE that is available.

“As doctors, we need assurances that the PPE we need will be available to us when we need it.

“AMA (NSW) is also calling for a priority to be given to a policy response which limits transmissions to healthcare workers.

“We don’t want to see any deaths of healthcare workers in NSW and the community needs to do everything possible to support that goal.

“These are highly unusual times and they call for changes in the ways we usually do things.

“We are calling on every person in NSW to play their part and stay home.

“It is also essential that patients are honest with their doctors about their symptoms and do not place healthcare workers at risk,” Dr Lim said.

Media contact: Lachlan Jones 0419 402 955