Rural and Indigenous health services are facing shortages of personal protective equipment as a surge in demand leaves doctors worried supplies are becoming increasingly scarce.
Masks, face shields, gowns, sanitisers and gloves have become highly sought after by medical professionals responding to the coronavirus crisis, leaving global supply chains strained.
"It's difficult - around the world what we've seen is ... intense competition and that's probably a significant understatement," he said. In the United States shortages of protective equipment have even seen bidding wars break out between states over dwindling supplies. “There is a perception in the city that you don’t have any cases out there yet and you don’t need it,” he said.
“Everyone around the world is trying to get the same kits at the same time with only so much capacity to produce it,” he told SBS News. Australia's 3D printing experts are banding together to make masks for at-risk health workers
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