People will be able to walk into their local chemist for a flu vaccine under a NSW Labor government, a policy that brings the alternative government into conflict with the influential Australian Medical Association.
Opposition leader Luke Foley announced the plan on Sunday, saying it would be a boon for the state’s pharmacies and take the pressure off its general practitioners and emergency departments.
“This will mean many, many more people in the state receive this critical vaccine,” he said. “And it is a practical and sensible approach to reducing healthcare costs”.
However, the Australian Medical Association has come out against the pharmacy proposal and questioned whether pharmacists have the training needed to dispense vaccines.
The doctors’ lobby also warns it could lead to fewer patients seeing a doctor.
“Many men aged in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are loath to visit the doctor are having the vaccine administered when they walk into a pharmacy for another product,” Mr Foley said.
A trial of a similar program in Queensland found one in four people immunised at a pharmacy would not otherwise have seen a doctor to get a flu vaccine. Queensland is considering extending its pilot program to include other vaccines.
However, the peak medical body in NSW believes pharmacists are not prepared to take over the responsibility for immunisations.
“Vaccinations are not just about needles,” said Saxon Smith, president of the organisation’s NSW chapter. “There’s a lot involved in terms of safety and care for people who have adverse reactions. People can have delayed reactions. It’s not something you can get on a weekend course.”
Under the policy, pharmacists would receive a two-day training course accredited by the Health Department.
The plan has the backing of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia.
“Pharmacists do a minimum of four years’ training,” said Steven Drew, the organisation’s NSW general secretary. “There have been over 11,000 immunisations throughout Queensland last year with not one adverse event; this proves the readiness of pharmacists to take on this role.”
However, the AMA says it is worried about what Labor sees as one of the policy’s main virtues: making vaccinations more accessible.
The organisation has said this might lead to a “fragmentation” of medical care that leads to fewer people visiting a doctor.
“These are the same people who may not be seeing their doctor regularly,” Dr Smith said. “[Not having them come in for immunisations] is a lost opportunity for other preventive care”.
However, opposition health spokesman Walt Secord said the ALP would press ahead in spite of the opposition.
“This is a policy that works in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States,” he said.
The opposition leader cited research from the state’s business chamber that found influenza cost the state $400 million.
Mr Foley said he expected pharmacists would charge between $25 and $30 to administer the vaccine.
There were about 63,000 flu cases by October last year, some three times greater than the previous year, research cited by the opposition health spokesman shows.