Surplus ex-State Supply Chain stock distributed to hospitals and not-for-profit

Victorian health services have benefitted from surplus State Supply Chain (SSC) stock that was distributed free of charge over the past 2 months.

The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH) recently received 170 touchscreen patient care monitors from the surplus stock to replace end of life machines.

Manager, Clinical Engineering at RMH Shiva Sivasubramaniam says the allocation of new equipment was very timely.

“We expect next-generation critical care technology, which is currently undergoing clinical trials, will become commercially available within the next five years.

“The state supply chain stock has filled a gap for us in the meantime.”

If RMH had needed to purchase monitors outright, the cost would have been around $2 million in addition to pushing out our replacement timeline by a further 10 years, Shiva says.

He says RMH expects the monitors to be operational in its critical care departments by the end of January 2026.

In September and October, regional health services also benefited from the distribution of more than $180,000 worth of medical infusion pumps, used to deliver medications such as chemotherapy, including Albury Wodonga Health, Peninsula Health, Mildura Base Public Hospital and Swan Hill District Health.

Peninsula Health Clinical Product Advisor Louise Niggemeyer says patients will benefit from staff having greater access to infusion pumps in their oncology unit.

“We would like to express our sincere thanks to our colleagues at HSV who have enabled us to increase access to care by supplying 10 speciality infusion pumps from the Covid stockpile”, she says.

The State Supply Chain was set up during the pandemic to provide medical consumables and equipment to Victoria’s public health services.

In November around 18,000 oximeters were also donated to the Australian Federation of Ukraine Organisations (AFUO). The supplies will be sent to Ukraine where people have had their lives upturned by conflict.

HSV coordinated donations to the AFUO in 2023 and 2024 by rounding up excess stock from Victorian health services that could be used in field hospitals during armed conflict.

HSV Customer Relationship Manager Catriona Cameron coordinated the distribution of surplus SSC stock and last year’s donation from health services to the AFUO.

“Our distribution centre staff did an amazing job coordinating the distribution of the surplus stock,” she says.

“I want to thank everyone who supported this humanitarian effort.”

Ukraine Aid Coordinator Teresa Lachowicz said the organisation is profoundly grateful for the generous contribution from HealthShare Victoria and Victorian health services.

“Every oximeter sent to Ukraine strengthens our capacity to care for those injured, displaced, or living under constant threat. Your compassion reminds the people of Ukraine that they are not forgotten.”

For more details on how to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, visit the Ukraine Crisis Appeal. 

Image above: Ukraine Aid Coordinator Teresa Lachowicz (centre) at the Rotary storage facility in West Footscray with volunteers for the Ukrainian Crisis Appeal and a container filled with supplies for Ukraine, including oximeters from HSV.