Call for health workers safety amid virus

Concerns over the safety of frontline health workers responding to the COVID-19 outbreak have prompted union calls for dedicated clinics to be introduced in Western Australia. 

The Health Services Union of WA wants the state's health department to provide clear protocols, and to ensure health workers are safely equipped to care for patients diagnosed with coronavirus.

The HSUWA are also calling for a public information campaign and more staff and resources to prepare for an outbreak. 

HSUWA Secretary Naomi McCrae said appropriate facilities and adequate resources were a necessity to ensure safety to staff and the public. 

"Photos released recently of public hospitals using carparks as makeshift quarantine zones are concerning," Ms McCrae said.

She said the department needed to provide temporary specimen collection facilities where people suspected of having the disease are directed. 

"These health workers are asking for dedicated clinics to be introduced to deal with patients presenting to hospitals and other testing facilities."