Figures from the Treasurer's Annual Financial Report, released on Friday, showed that spending on medical supplies was $15 million lower than expected during the last financial year.

This is in spite of the need to purchase personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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AMNF Tasmanian secretary Emily Sheppard said the decrease was understandable due to the halting of elective surgery and reduced presentations to emergency departments.

"I think that we will need to ask some questions for clarification and hopefully we will have the opportunity to do that at the budget," she said.

"But what we do know [is] that during the COVID-19 pandemic and outbreak there was a significant reduction in ED presentations and also postponement, except for emergency, elective surgery.

"So it is not surprising that there was a reduced use of consumables and medical equipment."

She said now it would be important to see the levels of funding go back to normal as needed.

When questioned on the reduced expenditure, on Friday, Premier and Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the Department of Health had unfettered access to funds to source personal protective equipment.

He said there were challenging in sourcing that equipment but that it was not due to the government's desire to spend.

"Throughout the pandemic obviously there were some challenges. I think it was well understood that the country had some limitations but where there were outbreaks in terms of our own care sector and the impact on the North-West Coast working with the Commonwealth government the necessary supplies were made available," Mr Gutwein said.

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