Covid-19 testing changes alarm Howard Springs quarantine staff

Health Minister Natasha Fyles has adamantly denied that a controversial decision to change rapid Covid-19 testing for staff in Howard Springs was made to cut costs.

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HEALTH Minister Natasha Fyles has adamantly denied that a controversial decision to change rapid Covid-19 testing for staff in Howard Springs was made to cut costs.

Staff at the NT Government-run quarantine facility have been moved from taking rapid antigen nasal tests to oral, saliva-only PCR tests.

The move has been heavily criticised by the NT’s nurses union who have expressed concerns about the accuracy and the longer turnover time to get results of the new tests.

Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation’s NT secretary Cath Hatcher questioned if the switch had been made because PCR tests are eligible for a $42 Medicare rebate, while the other is not.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles firmly denied that the recent test changes were made to save money.

“The advice I’ve gotten is it’s based on clinical information,” she said.

Health Minister Natasha Fyles was asked about the testing changes at a press conference in Darwin on Thursday. Picture: Che Chorley

“Yes we do have a complicated health funding system, we do receive rebates for a number of services from the Commonwealth Government, but no this decision was made based on clinical advice.

“The Howard Springs facility for international repatriations is paid for by the Commonwealth Government, so we are absolutely making those decisions; they’re not based on cost.”

It comes after NT Health on Wednesday confirmed there was a breach at a NT Hospital which resulted in a staff member having to undergo 14 days in isolation.

“There was a small breach; a gown was torn, so that was immediately spotted,” Minister Fyles said.

“We have seen this a couple of times, from memory, before, but our staff are doing a terrific job making sure that they’re using all the correct PPE processes for daily auditing and spotting.”

NT’s Acting chief health officer Charles Pain said the Victorian outbreak should be a reminder to Territorians not to become complacent and keep taking precautions like using the Territory Check In app. Almost 4 million check-ins have been recorded in the last six months.