Top doc calls for urgent coronavirus aid in NT

Royal Darwin Hospital specialist anaesthetist Andrew Fenton has joined forces with other medical directors, requesting the Northern Territory's Chief Health Officer Hugh Heggie take immediate action on coronavirus before it's too late. 

Five other medical directors have unanimously agreed each of his 16 steps should immediately be implemented to help the Territory's vulnerable population. 

"Critical care teams across the globe are reeling from the overwhelming number of patients now requiring ICU and ventilation," he wrote.

"There is a strong sense of regret that these health systems (Italy/Washington State/Holland among others) did not make fast and better decisions. Australia is only a few weeks behind this development. The NT population is doubly vulnerable, and it's critical care resources more finite, than any other Australian jurisdiction." 

He continued to reinforce that it's now time to consider our options, with the advantage of a few weeks lead time to preserve the most vulnerable. 

Dr Fenton estimated once the NT sees active COVID-19 respiratory failure in RDH and ICU, we will be a short number of weeks from exceeding capacity. 

He's urging the following immediate actions are required:

1. Suspend all community outreach; outreach to Gove and Katherine Hospitals can continue if local DMS requests

2. Suspend all outpatients - except category one triaged cases

3. Suspend dental

4. Suspend all elective surgery except urgent, life / limb-preserving elective surgery (including at Darwin Private Hospital)

5. Suspend all visiting HCW from interstate except those in critical care (emergency medicine / anaesthesia / intensive care)

6. Suspend meetings with interstate representatives except by teleconference 

7. Suspend work on CCRP / Hospital Accreditation / non-COVID-19 related activity 

8. Prepare and train for a 30 bedded ICU

a) Release 1/3 of Anaesthetists in rotation and OT nurses 

9. Prepare / reconfigure ED / train in personal protective equipment (PPE)

10. Prepare / reconfigure COVID-19 wards / train in PPE

11. Reconfigure and expand RDPH to receive COVID-19 patients 

12. Staff

a) Health care workers (HCW) over 49 not to be on intubation teams

b) HCW over 59 not to work in COVID-19 zones

c) HCW over 69 not to see patients

d) HCW immune compromised not to see patients

e) HCW with co-morbidities to discuss on an individual basis with their manager 

13. Stand down the medical school 

He's urging the following deferred actions are required:

14. In the next two weeks cease all teaching / education programs except those related to COVID-19 

15. In the next two weeks, screen all staff entries

16. In the next two weeks a surgeon and anaesthetist must be positioned in Katherine and Gove (with required equipment)

In a press conference this afternoon, Deputy Chief Health Officer Di Stephens said the sixdoctors that wrote to the Chief Health Officer did not have visibility of all of the work that is already being done.

"Most of the things that they have quite rightly suggested are already in train and already being done," she said.

"Those are our clinicians on our frontline, they are doing the best work they can possibly do. And they, like me, they're worried. And we're worried enough to be working day and night to make sure that this does not happen in a what which is uncontrolled as it has done in other countries."