GPs ask nail salons for masks

With masks in increasingly short supply due to the coronavirus crisis, Queensland GPs are sourcing the critical protective gear from surprising places.

DESPERATE doctors are begging for masks from shutdown nail and beauty salons, to shield health workers from coronavirus infection.

Queensland Health’s latest circular to GPs, signed by primary clinical lead Associate Professor Carl de Wet, shares a Mackay GP’s “practical tip’’ about seeking donations of gloves and masks.

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“With the closures of beauty salons eg nails, waxing, tanning etc a local GP practice reached out to these services within their area via Facebook seeking their assistance with donations of their gloves and masks,’’ the memo states.

“The practice has been overwhelmed by the response and if they continue to receive supplies were going to share with other practices in need.’’

Critical protective masks are in short supply. Picture: AFP

Queensland Health has repeatedly denied there is any shortage of surgical or P2 respirator masks for doctors and nurses.

But in guidelines for “conserving personal protective equipment’’, it states that “supply of some or all lines may be depleted’’.

It says “unnecessary use of PPE should be avoided’’ and recommends masks be locked away so they are not “freely accessible to the public’’.

“Strategies should be commenced now, in order to conserve the amount of stock that remains available,’’ the guidelines state.

 “Managers of patient care areas should consider removing these items … into a more secure location for example a locked medication room.’’

Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said 800,000 masks had been sent to GPs through the government’s Primary Health Networks yesterday.

“We’ve distributed over 8 million masks with more to come and every day, we’re bringing more masks in,’’ he said.

“To our GPs, we know this is hard.

“Nurses … and doctors … are our real heroes and we’ll do everything we can to support you.’’

Nurses Professional Association of Queensland president Phill Tsingos yesterday claimed some hospitals were forcing nurses to re-use disposable masks.

Doctors warned last week that they weredangerously short of medical masks to protect them from deadly COVID-19, despite millions of masks stored in a federal government stockpile.

The Royal Australian College of Surgeons revealed that a mask shortage was the sole reason for cancelling elective surgeries.