In Western Australia, $10 will buy you a pint of beer, a couple of coffees or a flu shot at your local pharmacy.
While a $10 vaccination sounds like a bargain, the Australian Medical Association’s WA president Michael Gannon is not impressed.
He is concerned the discount deals being offered by some chemists come at the expense of patient care.
“Vaccination is a really important health measure and what we don’t want to see is it cheapened to a $9.99 red light special at a discount pharmacy,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to provide a professional service for that length of time so I can guarantee you there won’t be a properly trained nurse or a pharmacist sitting there keeping an eye on a patient.
“They’ll be encouraged to walk the aisles purchasing other products, I suspect.”
For several years WA pharmacies have been allowed to administer flu shots, as long as it is done by a nurse practitioner.
But the State Government said it was going to let the pharmacists give injections themselves.
Dr Gannon said the only place people should be getting vaccinated is at their local GP practice.
“I don’t doubt the [Health] Minister’s good intentions here, but what we’re concerned is taking this important health measure out of the GP’s surgery,” he said.
“If it’s not done by GPs [then the] opportunity… to talk about other health measures, like giving up smoking… all the issues that can be discussed in a GP consultation will be replaced by sitting in a pharmacy barn being sold vitamins you don’t need.
“Doctors [also] have the training to deal with complications of vaccinations, although they are fortunately rare. It’s not in the training of pharmacists.”
Move will increase vaccination rates: pharmacists
The WA Health Department will provide training to pharmacists before they are allowed to give flu shots.
Australia’s Pharmacy Guild president George Tambassis said people had nothing to fear.
“If they’re done in a safe environment, in a consulting room, then I can’t see any negativity,” he said.
“We are healthcare professionals, we do a [university] degree of four to five years, we learn about these medicines, the public believe we’re qualified enough.”
He said at the end of the day GPs and pharmacists want the same thing – to increase vaccination rates.
A recent trial in Queensland saw an extra 11,000 people receive the flu shot over five months.
It has since been broadened to include measles and whooping cough vaccines.
Mr Tambassis said the results spoke for themselves.
“There [were] no adverse reactions, everyone came away happy [and] obviously the rates of immunisations went through the roof because all these people were never going to get immunised anyway,” he said.
In 2010 hundreds of children suffered adverse reactions after they were given the Fluvax shot including WA girl Saba Button, who suffered brain and organ damage.
Dr Gannon said that case rattled people’s faith in vaccinations and he was worried allowing pharmacists to give flu shots would not help.
“What’s important is that we don’t do anything to jeopardise the community’s faith in vaccinations,” he said.
“There is always someone with the latest crazy theme on the risks of vaccination.
“The year before poor little Saba was damaged by a vaccination, there were three children who died from flu. There was seven the year before that.
“This is a really important health measure so we can’t cheapen it.”
From next month, South Australians will also be able to get a flu shot from their pharmacist.