Pharmacy Daily | Call for an MBS fee for immunisers: PSA

THE Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has used its pre-Budget submission to urge the Federal Government to introduce a Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) payment for pharmacist immunisations modelled on the Level B payment available to GPs.

The MBS fee would be available in all primary care locations where pharmacists vaccinate.

PSA's 2023-24 Pre-Budget Submission also highlights the need for nationally consistent vaccination standards for all patients to receive all vaccinations from their local pharmacist, regardless of their age or type of vaccination.

PSA National President Dr Fei Sim (pictured) said: "We need to be doing everything we can to remove barriers and encourage more Australians to get vaccinated and be protected against preventable diseases like influenza, Meningococcal and HPV.

"For many Australians pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare providers, with extended opening hours and short wait times.

"We could be taking advantage of this, but instead governments have restricted the vaccinations we can provide in a pharmacy or general practice," Sim explained.

"Each state and territory has its own set of rules in place about which patients can be vaccinated by pharmacists, depending on age and the vaccination itself.

"In NSW, a pharmacist can provide a catch-up vaccination for the HPV shot missed during COVID lockdowns, but not in the ACT.

"A five-year-old can be vaccinated against influenza by a pharmacist in Victoria, while they would have to wait up to six weeks for a GP appointment in the Northern Territory or Tasmania - some of the jurisdictions with the worst wait times for GP appointments.

"Harmonising vaccination standards across the country, allowing pharmacists to play a greater role in vaccination programs, will reduce confusion across the states, public and healthcare professionals," Sim concluded.