NSW Health disposed of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of dodgy PPE

The NSW government scrambled to boost PPE stockpiles but millions of expired and faulty Covid equipment was thrown out without being used.

Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Covid-19 inventory was disposed of by NSW Health last year because the equipment was expired, faulty or didn’t meet regulatory requirements.

A financial audit of NSW Health’s books for the last financial year has revealed that $158.8 million worth of face masks failed TGA requirements and were unable to be used for any other purpose.

Health workers collect patient information wearing best-practice PPE in July 2021. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

In total, $775.8 million worth of Covid-19 inventory, including personal protective equipment, was either written off or “impaired” — a financial term meaning authorities expected that they wouldn’t use the equipment before it expired.

Authorities wasted $37.6 million on expired Covid-19 inventory and a further $20.7 million on equipment which was faulty. In total, more than $217 million in Covid-19 inventory was “disposed” of.

Paramedics in Blacktown done their PPE before they start a shift in September 2021. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

Health authorities in October expected that $560 million worth of equipment would pass its expiry date before it was used.

Labor Leader Chris Minns said healthcare workers had a right to be “furious” that PPE had to be thrown out because it wasn’t up to scratch.

A NSW Health worker in PPE hands out masks and hand sanitiser at the NSW Health COVID-19 Vaccination Hub at Sydney Olympic Park in August, 2021. Picture: Bianca De Marchi

“It’s staggering that the government would waste hundreds of millions of dollars on throwing out PPE or buying PPE that didn’t even meet regulations,” Mr Minns said.

“That money should have gone into bolstering our critical health resources.”

Skyrocketing infections during the Omicron wave was expected to have sped up the use of PPE, reducing the amount that could be wasted.

Auditor-General Margaret Crawford’s report was also critical of NSW Heath for how it was handling its stockpiles of PPE and equipment.

“Weaknesses” in stocktaking were identified in relation to how the “best before date” for equipment was collected.

The audit revealed that authorities threw out almost as much Covid-19 equipment as was actually used in 2020-21.

NSW Health ultimately used $220.2 million worth of Covid-19 inventory in the last financial year.

In a statement, a NSW Health spokeswoman said procurement of PPE for government agencies in 2020 was led by NSW Police.

“The focus of all procurement was on safeguarding the people of NSW.

“NSW Health was the nominated agency to store all the government agencies’ PPE requirements,” the statement said.

“Where there is potential surplus PPE to current requirements, NSW Health is exploring alternative uses and management of the stock.”