Government ‘fallen short’ on PPE

The Government has ‘‘fallen short’’ of its human rights obligations in its response to providing personal protection equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a report.

A just published report by the Human Rights Commission looks at how the Government’s response during alert level four impacted human rights. A snapshot of 10 key areas were highlighted, including the availability of coronavirus protective equipment, access to justice, and racism.

Access to a steady supply of personal protective equipment has been a sore point for several health professions, with the report also looking at how the Government responded to those concerns.

‘‘The response to concerns within the home and community workforce, and those it cares for, has been slow,’’ the report reads. ‘‘Following persistent advocacy by the Disability Rights Commissioner and others, PPE was made available to the community workforce.

‘‘But significant problems persist, including the absence of sector specific guidance on PPE use. Everyone is entitled to health protection from epidemic diseases. Human rights, including the rights to life, health protection and equality, and Te Tiriti, require the Government to take all effective and reasonable measures to provide adequate and equitable access to PPE.

‘‘The Government has fallen short of these obligations.’’

The Auditor-General has launched a review into the Ministry of Health’s distribution of face masks and other protective equipment, as the ministry nationalised its distribution and announced $200 million would be spent on more supplies.

Access to justice was covered in the report, with the commission choosing to highlight the fact the Human Rights Review Tribunal closed for the duration of alert level four, and for the month of May, with no attempt to ‘‘hear claims or procedural issues remotely’’.

In contrast, other courts have managed to work remotely. ‘‘... the tribunal’s approach is a serious human rights issue: it is inconsistent with the claimants’ right to an effective remedy for the significant harm they have suffered.

‘‘In alert level three, we urge the Government to provide the tribunal with adequate resources to hear and decide claims remotely.’’