Jeroen Weimar, Commander of the Victorian Department of Health’s COVID-19 response, visited Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BRHS) today to thank staff for their outstanding commitment to protecting this community during the Coronavirus pandemic.

“The resilience and determination healthcare workers have shown over the past two years is just extraordinary,” he said. “I am continually bowled over by what you have done, and what you continue to do.”

Mr Weimar and Department of Health Deputy Secretary for Vaccinations, Naomi Bromley, were in East Gippsland on Thursday to meet with a range of local agencies to hear about how the vaccination rollout was working here and reinforce the need for easy  access to COVID vaccinations for all Victorians, particularly vulnerable populations.

Accompanied by BRHS CEO Robyn Hayles and Chair of the BRHS Board of Directors Chris Barry, Mr Weimar and Ms Bromley joined Thursday morning’s Hospital Incident Control briefing, met staff in the COVID testing clinic at the rear of the hospital, and stopped to talk with and thank BRHS staff in the cafeteria.

“The innovation, creativity and strength of staff on the frontlines of this pandemic is something of which all Victorians should be proud,” Weimar said.

Returning to Bairnsdale for the first time since his involvement in bushfire recovery back in 2019, the state’s COVID commander said the next few months was a time of potential risk for regional Victorians, and that getting as many people vaccinated as possible was critical to preventing regional hospitals from coming under greater pressure.

“It’s amazing what East Gippsland has been able to achieve, in terms of the vaccine rollout,” he said. “Your own vaccination team has delivered more than 15,000 doses, and more than 80% of eligible East Gippslanders are fully vaccinated. But I’m concerned there are still some segments of the population that aren’t protected. We need to focus our efforts there to make sure no one is left behind.”

Ms Hayles used the visit of the high ranking department officials to draw attention to the intense pressure that BRHS staff have been under for more than two years, and the urgent need to make sure the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers was a priority for Dept. of Health officials and elected leaders.

“We went from bushfire straight into the pandemic,” Hayles said. “Our staff are incredibly resilient and dedicated to the work, but people are exhausted. Staffing is already a challenge, and it has the potential to impact our ability to serve this community.”

Ms Hayles said that investment and innovation was needed to ensure Victoria’s regional communities had the healthcare workforce they needed, during and after the pandemic.

“People that work in healthcare deserve to have access to the best health and wellness supports available,” she said.

Mr Weimar also heard about BRHS’ role in ongoing regional COVID preparedness planning, which includes coordinating treatment in the home for COVID positive patients who don’t require hospitalisation, and the sharing of staff and resources across East Gippsland to cope with spikes in testing and treatment.