NT Chief Health Officer leaked letter pushes for ‘sustainable’ Covid supply use

Covid supplies in the Territory are being rationed under a leaked Chief Health Officers letter to regional and remote health workers. SEE THE FULL LETTER HERE.

COVID supplies in the Territory are being rationed, according to a leaked chief health officer’s letter to regional and remote health workers.

A letter from chief health officer Hugh Heggie, obtained by the NT News, warned that the Covid response needed to be run in an “effective and sustainable manner”.

The letter, dated February 3, outlined the “new approach” to regional health workers, which included using medical records to identify the most vulnerable for priority vaccines and boosters, cease testing asymptomatic residents, and in a “widespread transmission” cluster to only test highly vulnerable close contacts.

“Our priority is to ensure that our resources are dedicated to those who require acute care,” Dr Heggie said.

“This new stage of the pandemic is challenging for everyone in the Territory, but it provides particular challenges for those working in remote communities.”

Dr Heggie said Omicron typically caused milder illness but he acknowledged that hospitalisation rates were higher among Aboriginal Territorians.

NT Health has reported 90 per cent of NT Covid hospitalisations and all Covid-related deaths were Aboriginal Territorians.

The leaked letter comes as West Arnhem Land leaders warn the region has reached a “crisis point” with the few accessible RATs being rationed across infected communities.

NLC West Arnhem Regional Manager Andy Ralph said their region’s daily tally had been drastically underestimated as there were virtually no RATs left in the region, which is cut off by wet season flooding.

The NT CHO Hugh Heggie. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Mr Ralph said remote health clinics, despite their best efforts, could not stop West Arnhem communities from approaching the looming “crisis point”.

He said Gunbalanya clinic nurses had visited 15 homes, each with between 10 and 15 residents, and could only test one person per household.

All tests confirmed a positive case but it was suspected all other residents had contracted the virus too.

NT Health reported that 2 per cent of the West Arnhem community was currently infected, with 143 active cases.

“But the local clinic expects the true figure has exploded to be three or four times that,” Mr Ralph said.

“The accepted theory being if you don’t have Covid this week, you most certainly will the next.

“The government are clearly no longer interested in overall case numbers, which are dropping only because testing in remote regions has virtually stopped.”

Mr Ralph said the lack of testing, and limited resources would have dire consequences, with limited medi-vac flights meaning not everyone would make it to a hospital bed.

“Many Aboriginal people will simply die in their homes provided only with the limited health care.”

“I keep thinking back to a year ago when the NT Chief Minister shed a tear at the mere thought of Covid-19 entering Arnhem Land communities. Who’s crying now?”

West Arnhem Mayor Matthew Ryan said he was extremely disappointed with the Northern Territory government’s response to the outbreak.

Mr Ryan said even known positive cases were not receiving the treatment they needed.

He said he personally dropped off Panadol to a Covid-positive patient with an underlying chronic liver condition. He said there had been no NT Health check-ins to monitor her condition.

“Covid is spreading like wildfire across the community and homelands,” Mr Ryan said. “And there’s constant denial from the Health Department.”

Mr Ryan said the NT government’s approach was “negligent” and Aboriginal communities had been treated like “guinea pigs” in the “let it rip” strategy.

“They want to put measures in place, but the health sector continues to deny that there’s issues.”

NT Health was contacted for comment but did not respond by deadline.

READ THE FULL CHO LETTER HERE