23 November 2005
Tamiflu stocks nowhere near enough - Kedgley
The existing stocks of Tamiflu are not sufficient to protect the 65,000 health care workers and 25,000 emergency staff,
let alone their families and vulnerable New Zealanders, Green Party Health Spokesperson Sue Kedgley says.
"The Government must put in an urgent order for additional supplies."
District Health Board's are required by legislation to protect their staff from serious harm -such as bird flu -and to
offer them as much protection as possible.
"Clearly, in the event of an outbreak of bird flu, health workers exposed to sick people would want to use Tamiflu
prophylactically, to reduce their risks of exposure to the virus.
"If health workers used it prophylactically, this could mean they would need a tablet every day for up to 12 weeks. This
would use up the bulk of the supply of Tamiflu in New Zealand, and would mean there would be little left over for the
rest of the population," she says.
Ms Kedgley pointed out that DHB's are required by the 2002 Health and Safety in Employment Act to provide a safe
environment for their staff, and the Act permits workers to refuse to perform work if they think it is likely to cause
serious harm to them.
Similarly the National Health Emergency Plan: Infectious Diseases requires health providers to ensure that a safe
working environment is provided for all staff. This suggested an obligation to provide Tamiflu prophylactically as it is
the only known defence against bird flu at this stage.
Ms Kedgley says she is also concerned by the confusing advice DHB's were receiving from the Health Ministry about the
need to stockpile their own supplies of Tamiflu.
"If DHB's are to stockpile supplies of Tamiflu for their staff, they should have been given clear directions to this
effect a year ago," Ms Kedgley says.
ENDS