After five years, the State Supply Chain has closed

After five years of operation, more than 127 million examination gloves and deliveries to over 1,200 health service locations, HealthShare Victoria has closed the State Supply Chain (SSC).

The SSC was set up at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when Victoria’s healthcare workers were using up to 1.5 million respirator masks each week. It played a critical role in ensuring Victorian public health services had access to goods that were in high demand or difficult to source.

When it was established, the SSC was governed by the Department of Health with Monash Health as the supply and logistics lead and HSV as the procurement lead. After we cemented our new supply chain infrastructure and opened a new distribution centre in Dandenong South, HSV took over responsibility for SSC supply and logistics in 2023.

More than 70 health services from across Victoria had access to the SSC and over the course of its operation accessed more than $55.6 million worth of medical products, all free of charge.

HSV opened the largest Victorian distribution centre for public health goods in Derrimut in 2021 as a hub for Victoria’s rapid antigen tests (RATs). Since HSV began looking after supply and delivery for the SSC in June 2023, more than 52 million surgical masks have been distributed to health services through the SSC, along with 15 million N95 masks, 31.5 million cleaning consumables and over 4.5 million RATs.

“The SSC was a great support for health services during the pandemic as it provided surety of products, an easy-to-use ordering system and the sourcing was taken care of so we could focus on clinical needs,” says Valentina Trajkovski, Procurement, Clinical and Business Support Manager at Western Health, a major metropolitan hospital in Melbourne’s west.

Smaller health services in more remote parts of the state also benefited from the SSC, including Mallee Track Health and Community Services (MTHSC) in Ouyen in Victoria’s north west.

“We are very thankful to HSV for providing support with much needed clinical consumables during that difficult time for our supply chain,” says Rakesh Nagalla, Manager of Corporate Services at MTHSC.

“Without access to the SSC, securing quality consumables within any timeframe would have been especially challenging given our remote location”.

As well as the supply of products, HSV shared its expertise with SSC customers to provide support in a challenging environment when the usual products may have been unavailable.

“I particularly appreciated the Product Information Library that HSV created to assist with appropriate use of products available in the SSC, and the collaboration and support provided by HSV’s Clinical Product Advisors,” adds Valentina.

In 2023, when the Victorian health sector moved to COVID management as part of normal business, the Department of Health directed HSV to begin winding down the SSC. 

We encouraged SSC health service customers to make the most of the remaining stock, including Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), RATs, ventilators and even beds and mattresses, which all continued to be supplied at no cost to health services.

Stock left over was then offered to original suppliers to buy back at a reduced price or sold via a public auction to organisations keen to secure low-cost, high-quality PPE. Surplus stock was then donated to charities, not-for-profits and public sector agencies including Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police and the Country Fire Authority.  

“After ensuring health services across Victoria were able to access all the PPE and other essential products they needed to keep their employees and patients safe throughout the pandemic, it was good to be able to donate excess protective equipment to other organisations that help keep Victorians safe,” says Alfred Matthews, Director of Customer Engagement at HSV.

Orders for SSC items closed on 17 June 2025. Mandated health service customers can continue to purchase products that were available in the SSC through HSV contracts, and Eligible Services may also be able to access the contracts.