3. Statement by the Minister for Health and Social Services: Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:24 pm on 1 April 2020.

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Photo of Caroline Jones Caroline Jones UKIP 3:24, 1 April 2020

Thank you for your statement, Minister. There has been much criticism about the lack of testing in Wales, and comparisons are being made with other countries. I won't rehash the arguments about the failed deal to secure additional testing for Wales, but what assurances have you received from the UK Government, and the other home nations, that we are not competing for the same limited supply?

South Korea is cited by the media as an example we should be following. South Korea did not start, though, from a standing start because they already had significant testing facilities prior to this outbreak due to ongoing issues with SARS. Minister, have you discussed with nations outside the UK, such as South Korea, the best way of ramping up our testing regime? Other nations, such as Germany, are also so far ahead because they have the lab capacity, which is why the test for this new coronavirus, developed in German laboratories, is being used around the globe. Minister, I accept that increasing testing is not just about buying a stock of reagents: we need personnel to collect samples; a vast logistical network to move the samples; trained lab technicians to conduct the test; and IT infrastructure to collate the results. We are far behind where we need to be. Minister, can you outline the discussions you have had with the pharmaceutical sector in Wales regarding their role in supporting the fight against coronavirus, and can you also outline the steps the Welsh Government are taking to ensure we can meet not just the immediate testing needs, but also for future demand? This is a global pandemic, and we are facing a new, mostly unknown, virus so we do need a global response. Can you outline how public health officials and researchers in Wales are working with other nations to tackle this new viral threat?

Minister, we have all received a letter from the British Medical Association regarding issues surrounding the vulnerable patients lists. Yesterday, I was contacted by a constituent who is vulnerable but not on the extremely vulnerable list, to their knowledge. This constituent has, for many years, relied upon deliveries of food and medicine, but is now unable to do so because they are not on the Welsh Government list. According to the BMA, GPs cannot assist patients as they do not have access to the lists of patients. So, Minister, what steps are you taking to ensure our constituents are not faced with a choice between starvation or possibly contracting the disease, which has a strong chance of being fatal because of their health conditions?

Hospitals are being erected in days and people are lining up to help in any way they can, but there has been some confusion regarding ways to volunteer in Wales following the publicity surrounding the GoodSAM launch in England. So, what steps are you taking to ensure that everyone in Wales who wants to help in the effort to combat this disease can do so?

Also, Minister, in the last few weeks, universities, industry, and the maker community have been developing novel methods to produce everything from face shields to ventilators, and new CPAP machines have been developed and automated bag valve masks have been trialled to ensure ventilators can be reserved for the more serious cases. So, what discussions have you had with industry and the higher education sector in Wales about increasing Wales's supply of ventilators? Diolch yn fawr.