‘Outrageous’ inaction from Labor on IV fluids: Ruston

The Coalition has accused Labor of knowing about the impending IV fluid shortage for more than a year and doing nothing to intervene.

Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

The Coalition has accused Labor of knowing about the impending IV fluid shortage for more than a year and doing nothing to intervene, with opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston declaring the inaction “outrageous”.

As the nation faces an IV fluid supply crisis that has seen surgeries cancelled and patients staying in hospital for longer, the federal government is facing calls for a nationally-co-ordinated response that goes beyond the monitoring group set up this month.

Australia’s only onshore IV fluid manufacturer, which has a factory in western Sydney, is still supplying adequate stock to New Zealand, and medics and pharma ­insiders say they are “mystified” as to why Australia appears to be the only country significantly impacted by what regulators say is a global shortage.

Senator Ruston said she was “seriously concerned about Australia’s dangerous shortage of saline IV fluids”, as doctors are being forced to ration use.

Pointing to comments made by Finance Minister Katy Gallagher in answer to the question of when the commonwealth was made aware of the issue, Senator Ruston said she had been shocked to learn the minister was first told more than a year ago.

“It was outrageous to hear Minister Gallagher admit that the government has been aware of an impending shortage since May 2023,” Senator Ruston said.

“We are now in August 2024 and a ‘monitoring group’ was only set up just over a week ago. We are beyond monitoring. We need action and leadership.”

Senator Ruston said Health Minister Mark Butler “must immediately stand up and assure Australians that their federal government is guaranteeing our supply of these critical fluids”.

“We need an urgent and nationally-co-ordinated response to the shortage of IV fluids to ensure no Australian patient is harmed by this national crisis,” she said.

However, Mr Butler’s department said IV fluid supply was a state responsibility.

“States and territories co-ordinate use and supply of IV fluids within their jurisdictions. The current supply of IV fluids in Australia is being affected by a global supply limitation, unexpected increases in demand and manufacturing issues,” a Health Department spokeswoman said.

“The Therapeutic Goods Administration actively monitors the supply of important medicines in Australia. While it is not the role of the TGA to co-ordinate the supply of medicines, the TGA works with pharmaceutical companies, peak bodies and other stakeholders to minimise the effects of shortages on consumers and health professionals.”

Health Minister Mark Butler. Picture: NewsWire/Martin Ollman

Queensland Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Lachie Millard

Queensland Premier Stephen Miles said he would be supportive of reforms to change the monitoring and reporting of IV fluid supply, should clinicians call for it.

Asked whether IV bags should be added as reportable medicine under TGA legislation – which would require immediate notification to the TGA when the medicine is in shortage – Mr Miles did not rule it out.

“If clinicians were to advise us that that would be useful, then obviously I would support it,” he said. “It is the first time it’s been raised with me.”

Mr Miles said Queensland Health had managed stock level issues during Covid, and “they’ll be using that experience to make sure that our clinicians have all the saline bags that they need”.

A NSW Health spokesman said no planned surgeries in NSW public hospitals had so far been postponed or cancelled, pointing to an “appropriate management of fluids”.

“We assure the community that patient safety is of the utmost importance and we are taking all available steps to minimise any potential disruptions to our services and patients caused by these supply issues,” he said.