Pharmacists to administer vaccines for whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus
PHARMACISTS will for the first time be able to give vaccinations for a range of deadly illnesses to people aged 16 or older.
NSW
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PHARMACISTS will for the first time be able to give vaccinations for a range of deadly illnesses to people aged 16 or older.
A new policy will allow NSW pharmacists to administer vaccines for whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus as well as measles, mumps and rubella to anyone older than 16.
The age for accessing the influenza vaccine in pharmacies will also drop from 18 to 16 under the policy, which comes into effect in January.
The state government is trying boost vaccination uptake, especially in regional and rural areas, by making it easier to access the potentially lifesaving shots without having to book a costly GP appointment.
Pharmacists will have to undergo special training to be allowed to administer vaccines.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said he hopes the change will lead to more people being immunised, especially before travelling.
“Australia has wiped out measles and the only reported cases are from unvaccinated
people who acquire it overseas and then infect others locally,” he said.
“We hope new grandparents, carers of infants and partners of pregnant women also make
use of the additional services to protect newborn babies from whooping cough.”
Pharmacists will be required to report all vaccinations they administer to the Australian Immunisation Register which can be accessed by GPs.
NSW Health has also successfully lobbied the federal government to hold a review to advise whether more types of vaccines should be offered at pharmacies and for what age range, such as children.
Mr Hazzard is pushing for a nationally consistent approach to vaccinations in pharmacies.
Pharmacy Guild NSW branch president David Heffernan welcomed the change.
“This is all about building herd immunity,” he said.
Mr Heffernan said the Guild believed pharmacies should be able to offer vaccines to children from age 12.
But Australian Medical Association NSW President Dr Kean-Seng Lim said pharmacists should not be delivering vaccines as it “fragments” the health system.
“Overall we don’t think this is a good idea — that’s putting it mildly,” he said.
“Vaccinations is part of a much broader piece of healthcare. Whenever I see a patient to get a vaccination it’s not just for that, it also involved taking a proper assessment of their health history and healthcare needs overall. It’s an opportunity to discuss preventive health.”
“Increasing the number of places someone is able to get a vaccination is actually fragmenting care and by creating more gaps we are actually making a worse system than we have now.”
Dr Lim said in the case of travel vaccinations a person should attend their GP because they need to discuss a range of preventive health measures, like water consumption — information a patient wouldn’t get at a pharmacy.
Originally published as Pharmacists to administer vaccines for whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus
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