Hefty bill: Cost of setting up Howard Springs Workers Village and hospitals for coronavirus revealed

THE costs of setting up the Howard Springs workers village for coronavirus and making NT hospitals coronavirus-ready have been revealed — and it’s in the millions

SETTING up and staffing the Howard Springs workers village for coronavirus has cost the NT Government more than $3 million.

It can also be revealed that the cost of making NT hospitals coronavirus-ready tipped the $1 million mark.

The disused Inpex workers village at Howard Springs was dusted off in February after the NT and federal governments agreed to turn it into a quarantine site for Australians stranded in Wuhan.

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Later in the month, more than 160 Diamond Princess cruise ship passengers from Japan were also brought to the camp to be quarantined. It has since been turned into an isolation facility and COVID-19 drive-through testing clinic.

The NT Government, through a question on notice from the CLP, has since revealed it cost $2.9 million to get the site operational and another $200,000 to staff it as at the end of April.

COVID-19 evacuees from the Diamond princess in the Howard Springs Workers Camp. Picture GLENN CAMPBELL

Health Minister Natasha Fyles said the Federal Government had agreed not to leave the NT “out of pocket” for costs associated with setting up and running the Howard Springs village to house repatriated Australians from China and Japan. It was not specified how much of the costs would be borne by the NT Government.

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Ms Fyles said the Government continued to assess the need for the facility and would progressively wind it down.

The workers village remains part of the contingency plan should there be a break- out of coronavirus.

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It was also revealed that it cost the Government $661,000 to get equipment, including telemetry beds and ventilators. to scale up Royal Darwin and Palmerston hospitals’ COVID-19 capabilities.

A further $335,000 was spent fitting out and getting equipment for Alice Springs and Tennant Creek hospitals.

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But there were no changes made to Katherine or Gove district hospitals, something CLP leader Lia Finocchiaro said was “inconceivable”.

“It’s inconceivable that the Gove and Katherine hospitals went unchanged during the preparation for COVID-19. Why is the Government providing lesser safeguards for Territorians living in these areas?” she asked.

Ms Fyles said regional centres were equipped to manage “modest outbreaks” of the virus but patients would likely be transferred to major hospitals to be cared for anyway.