Tuesday, 28 November 2023

 David ETTERSHANK (Western Metropolitan) (12:50): (585) My constituency question is for the Minister for Health. My constituent is a drug and alcohol support worker in the Western Metro Region who is extremely concerned about the shortage of naloxone in my region. Naloxone is a life-saving medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. The organisation my constituent works for has signed up to the take-home naloxone program. Under this program community support services are basically able to distribute naloxone for free without a prescription alongside pharmacies; however, the rollout of this program appears to have stalled amid a shortage of naloxone across the state. With over 549 overdose deaths last year in this state – a figure guaranteed to increase with the arrival of fentanyl on our shores – my constituent feels the Victorian government is not responding to this crisis with the urgency that it would deal with other causes of death. My constituent asks: what is the government doing to address the naloxone shortage and speed up the rollout of the take-home naloxone program in the Western Metro Region?

The PRESIDENT: Just to clarify, Mr Ettershank, the organisation you are talking about is inside the electorate that you represent?

David ETTERSHANK: That is correct, President.