A very close friend of mine has just alerted me to a really serious issue related to our health system that will have serious consequences if CMO Brendan Murphy and the Aus Gov don’t act now. This is a thread...
(2) Aust is currently experiencing a shortage of solvents critical to COVID-19 response, due to Australian manufacturers selling overseas. WilmarBioEthanol and Recochem are the only two Aus companies that make the solvents needed in Australia's hospitals and pathology clinics...
(3) But these two companies have decided to sell their product - ethanol and isopropanol - to the highest bidders- overseas companies. Normally 50 cents a litre, now around $2.20 a litre. And the foreign companies in the region are snapping it up. Meaning companies can’t buy it.
(4) What this means to us is that without ethanol and isopropanol, supplies in Australia's pathology labs and hospitals, sterilisation and many pathology tests cannot occur. This has astronomical consequences for the looming public health crisis.
(5) Wilmar BioEthanol and Recochem are the major suppliers to NSW Health, Australian Clinical Labs, Queensland Health and SA Pathology, who are now critically short of solvents used for sterilisation and pathology tests. Because these companies don’t care about Aussie lives.
(6) Wonder why you can't buy hand santiser? Thank Wilmar BioEthanol and Recochem for shipping the solvents to the overseas market. If the gov doesn’t do something, Australia will run out of stock of solvents critical for the COVID-19 response in a matter of days.
(7) This is the letter written by the MD of Point of Care Diagnostics asking the CEO of the Royal College of Pathologists to engage with the federal government to get them to stop the export of these crucial solvents overseas. 
(8) Dr Graves confirmed to POCD that she sent it to CMO Brendan Murphy’s office. It’s not known if he has acknowledged the letter, or will take steps to do anything about it.
(9) the letter calls on the Australian government to mandate manufacturers must hold sufficient stock of medical solvents for the Australian market before shipping it overseas. If they don’t, it means more people will die. This solvent is critical for lab tests and cleaning.
(10) We can’t buy hand sanitiser because we can’t make the stuff - the vital ingredients are shipped off overseas to the highest bidder. It’s NOT good enough. The health of Australians is the absolute priority. The government needs to to EVERYTHING in its power to protect us.
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@PathologyRCPA FYI. I hope the government acts on this immediately to ensure that the pathology sector is still able to access the solvents it needs.
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