The first deployment of items to the states and territories from the NMS occurred on 30 April 2009 and the last, for managing cases of illness, occurred on 17 November 2009.

Early in the response, the Australian Government positioned NMS stocks of antiviral medications and PPE in warehouses in all Australian capital cities to prime the supply system. Border agencies regularly requested PPE stocks from the NMS, which were sent directly from NMS warehouses to airports and agencies. PPE supplies to assist international travellers in quarantine were sent to individuals from the NMS.

Arrangements for health sector access to PPE and antiviral medications, including provision to GPs, differed across states and territories. Some jurisdictions set up ‘flu clinics’ where NMS items were distributed, some used community pharmacies to aid distribution, and others used the resources in public health units for distribution. Generally, antiviral medications were initially distributed from individual state and territory stockpiles and, later, jurisdictions sought supplies from the NMS to meet their needs. Similarly, early supplies of PPE were distributed from state and territory stockpiles and private practice supplies and then from the NMS. The Australian Government contracted the Australian General Practice Network (AGPN) to distribute PPE to general practices in Victoria when the demand there was high.

Requests from jurisdictions for supplies were considered at the time they were made. To minimise delays in approving requests due to the high volume received, a streamlined approach was implemented during the reponse in order to standardise requests from jurisdictions on a pro forma; to pre-approve requests from border agencies up to an agreed percentage of allocated supplies; and so that only one approver was required. A notional allocation policy was developed during the response to ensure ongoing availability of supplies to jurisdictions.

With the increased role of GPs in administering pandemic (H1N1) 2009 vaccine, the contents of the pre-planned PanFlu VacPacks were restructured, in consultation with the AHPC National Immunisation Committee Pandemic Vaccine Working Group (AHPCNIC), to include syringes and needles only. The delivery mechanism was also changed from the planned distribution to jurisdictional receiving facilities in that the Australian Government arranged with the vaccine manufacturer, CSL Limited, to distribute the PanFlu VacPacks with the vaccine directly to immunisation providers. This process meant that the vaccine could be administered immediately. The manufacturer provided this service at no cost for the first two months of the vaccine rollout. After that time, individual states and territories negotiated with the manufacturer directly for this service.

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Review of Australia’s Health Sector Response to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009: Lessons Identified(PDF 1023 KB)