Greg Hunt vows to investigate Campsie clinic charging $250 for vaccine consultation

A Sydney doctors’ clinic charging patients up to $250 for a consultation to get a Pfizer vaccine will be investigated by federal health authorities.

A Campsie doctors’ clinic charging patients up to $250 for a consultation to get a Pfizer vaccine will be investigated by federal health authorities, Health Minister Greg Hunt says.

Signs at Campsie’s Blessed Health Care clinic were advising new patients on Thursday that they would need to pay up to $250 for a consultation to get a vaccine dose.

Blessed Health Care clinic in Campsie, which is charging $250 for a consultation to get the Covid vaccine. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said anyone asking people to pay for a vaccine dose is “not doing the right thing”.

A Campsie local said news about the paid Pfizer vaccines was being widely circulated among the area’s Chinese community, with many people choosing to pay cash to get their dose.

“This is plain bad behaviour,” Mr Hunt said.

Mr Hunt said the federal government had spent $10 billion on the vaccine rollout to ensure vaccines — and vaccine consultations — would be free.

He said the GP charging for consultations alongside an appointment would be investigated “immediately”.

A sign on the wall at the Blessed Health Care clinic.

Health Minister, Greg Hunt said the clinic would be investigated. Picture: NCA NewsWire/David Crosling

“The vaccine is free. The consultations for the vaccine are paid to be bulk-billed, in other words, to be free,” he said.

Signs in the window of Blessed Health Care specified the charge of up to $250 was a “consultation fee”.

Patients have been told they would need to pay another $60 for their second dose.

“The vaccine itself is free,” the clinic’s receptionist said.

“We don’t bulk bill, we’re a private practice.”

The Australian Medical Association said doctors could not charge for an appointment to have a vaccine.

“It is critical, particularly in the current outbreak, that patients have access to Covid-19 vaccines. The Covid vaccinations are free and providers cannot charge you an out-of-pocket cost for your vaccine or your appointment to receive the vaccine,” AMA NSW President Dr Danielle McMullen said.

“There should be no barriers to access for anyone seeking a Covid vaccination.”

Clinics are permitted to charge a consultation fee for new patients.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners President Dr Karen Price said the actions taken by the Campsie practice were disappointing.

“It’s certainly not right,” she said. “There has been a lot of condemnation among doctors forums on social media. They would need to review that practice.

“We don’t want to have people paying more just so they have access to Pfizer.

“We need to apply public health principles like equal access for everyone.”

A local familiar with the clinic said she knew o people who had been to get the vaccine.

“It is being shared in WeChat. I asked my friends and they said you call them and make a booking and you go as new patients and pay for the consultation,” the local said.

“So they go in, pay cash and get the vaccine.

“We already know so many people got the first dose already.”

A receptionist said the clinic had now run out of Pfizer.

One tradesman, who asked not to be named and who does not have Medicare because he is on a temporary visa, said he paid the fee to “get it over and done with”.

“The transmission rates are going up and I don’t want to have to wait months for the vaccine,” he said.

“I’d rather pay it than wait for the government to get the vaccines in.”

Originally published as Greg Hunt vows to investigate Campsie clinic charging $250 for vaccine consultation