GPs hit out at Miles after flu jab announcement

GPs say it is ironic that Deputy Premier Steven Miles is announcing on social media that Queenslanders should race to their doctors for a free flu jab.

GPs say it is ironic that Deputy Premier Steven Miles is announcing on social media that Queenslanders should race to their doctors for a free flu jab.

“It’s a pity that the Deputy Premier didn’t show the same faith in GPs delivering a great vaccine service when he blamed community doctors for the ramping crisis,” Dr Bruce Willett, Queensland Chair of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, said.

Dr Willett’s comments come after the Government’s announcement on Monday that Queenslanders would be offered free flu injections, following a spike in influenza cases.

Dr Bruce Willett hit out at the Deputy Premier over his comments regarding community doctors. Picture: Tara Croser

“We absolutely welcome the announcement of free flu jabs, as we are seeing an unusual number of patients with influenza. We will roll out these jabs as efficiently as we have done with the Covid jabs.

“It would be good if the Deputy Premier co-operated with general practice to ease the burden on the health system”, he said.

Last week, Mr Miles said the Palaszczuk Government wasn’t fully to blame for mounting pressures on hospital workers due to an “absolute collapse” in access to GPs.

Deputy Premier Steven Miles last week said the health system was being “smashed” partly because of an “absolute collapse” in access to GPs. Picture: Tara Croser

“(There’s) lots and lots of people who can’t get to see a GP, even if they have a regular GP, many GPs are declining to see people with respiratory illnesses, sometimes before they get a Covid test, sometimes not at all, and that is driving lots and lots more people to our emergency departments,” he said.

“It’s also seeing lots of people delay care and so then when they go to get care, their condition is much more acute and at that point in time they do need the specialist services of our emergency departments.”

Steven Miles promotes free flu jabs on Facebook.

The comments were later slammed by GPs and the Leader of the Opposition with MP David Crisafulli calling it a “disgraceful slur” against “hero” doctors.

Dr Willett on Monday said that GPs would be out of pocket as they would already have

bought influenza vaccines.

“It would be great if the Government covered the cost of what is already in the fridges,” he said.

Following his controversial comments, Mr Miles responded by saying his words were “taken out of context”.

“It’s unfair that the Morrison Liberal Government has walked away from Primary Health care,” the deputy premier posted on his social media.

“It’s their job to make sure there are enough GPs, enough appointments and that everyday people can get an appointment close to home that they can afford.”

He went on to say the Federal Government needed to invest more in primary health care to reduce pressure on hospitals.

“That’s what I said yesterday, I’ve been saying it over and over for years now. I’m tired of saying it,” he wrote.

The free vaccines will be available for all Queenslanders aged six months and older from Tuesday to June 30, at GPs and pharmacies.

“If we then need to supplement by looking at going into schools, we will look at that like we did with Covid vaccines,” Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

The state has budgeted $40m for the flu vaccine rollout.