State Governments in South Australia, Western Australia, News South Wales and Victoria have announced greater access to flu vaccines for Australians this winter. This follows a similar announcement last week from the Queensland Government.
Throughout June, people aged 5 years and over will be able to access a free influenza vaccine from their GP or pharmacist. GPs will continue to administer vaccines to people aged 6 months to 5 years old.
Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) National President A/Prof Chris Freeman welcomes the announcement but says more needs to be done to protect Australians this winter, and in future flu seasons.
“Public health teams are rightly alarmed by the surging influenza caseload across the nation,” A/Prof Freeman said.
“Hospitalisations are already placing strain on stretched health resources. We must act with urgency and work together to vaccinate as many people against influenza as soon as possible.”
While many parts of the country are offering free flu vaccines throughout the month of June, A/Prof Freeman urges Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory to also follow suit.
“These announcements demonstrate the crucial role that pharmacists continue to play in protecting the health of Australians. We appreciate that these governments are making a critical investment, by remunerating pharmacists for providing this service,” A/Prof Freeman said.
“However, these state-based time-limited programs are only a band-aid for the bigger problem of funding arrangements, which have not kept pace with population health needs.
“We need to make it easier for all Australians to be protected against influenza every year, by removing cost barriers currently faced by many Australians.
“It is time for the Federal Government to extend the Medicare Benefits Schedule to fund the costs to patients for administration of National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccinations by their pharmacist,” he said.
