THE outbreak of COVID-19 has challenged every Australian. All of us have been affected and everyone has had to make changes.
This has been a difficult time for many, but we have faced it together and we have done so with the confidence that our essential health services will be there to support us through it all.
This period has demonstrated the strength of our health services, their professionalism and their ability to adapt.
I want to thank each and every one of our essential health and aged-care workers, who continue put their own health at risk every day to care for the most vulnerable members of our community. The nurses, cleaners, doctors, receptionists and everyone in between are all playing a vital role in this crisis which has not gone unnoticed – I thank them all deeply on behalf of the Mallee electorate.
As soon as the potential for this outbreak to reach Australia was known, my thoughts turned to the preparedness of our healthcare services in Mallee. I began working closely with health care providers and local councils, hearing of the plans and strategies that had been swiftly implemented across the electorate to respond to COVID-19.
These discussions, coupled with the Federal Government’s actions to secure the national medical stockpile, establish COVID-19 respiratory clinics and expand the use of telehealth services gave me every confidence that Mallee was ready.
In Mildura, the clinic led by Sunraysia Community Health Services was the first in Victoria and the second in Australia to be funded as part of the government’s plan to establish 100 respiratory clinics across Australia.
By taking pressure off the hospital and local GPs, this clinic has delivered enormous benefits for the community. In just over a month, the clinic had triaged 528 telephone consultations, which led to 345 GP appointments and 326 tests for coronavirus.
Sunraysia Community Health Services also established a drive-through clinic as part of the Victorian Government’s recent testing blitz. A further 476 residents were tested at this clinic. This is the kind of leadership and innovation that has helped our region stay on top of this crisis.
Including the Mildura clinic, Mallee will house three of the 100 respiratory clinics and I look forward to making further announcements on clinics in Horsham and Swan Hill in the near future.
With the relaxation of some restrictions in Victoria, Mallee residents will now have the chance to catch up with family and friends in small groups.
But we need to remember that the fight is not over. We must continue to observe social distancing and hygiene practices, maintain our world leading levels of testing, and enhance our tracing capabilities through the COVIDSafe app, to meet the challenges of the future and defeat this virus.
Anne Webster is the Member for Mallee
