PLANS to authorise pharmacist immunisers to administer COVID-19 vaccines (COVAX) should not be used as part of an interprofessional turf war, Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) National President, Associate Professor Chris Freeman, believes.
Responding to concerns expressed by the Australian Medical Association (AMA) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RACGP), that pharmacies were not appropriate sites for COVAX clinics, Freeman said it made sense for the profession to be involved in the rollout of successful vaccines.
"I know that there are some medical groups concerned about pharmacist involvement," he told Nine Entertainment.
"But I think it's time to put away the turf protection arguments - we should be focused on the health of the population."
Under the Federal Government's Australian COVID-19 Vaccination Policy the rollout of COVAX will be initially done exclusively by doctors, with other trained immunisers - including pharmacists - likely to be authorised after three-to-six-months, in the case of adverse events (PD 23 Nov).
AMA National President, Dr Omar Khorshid, suggested that community pharmacies were not appropriate locations for immunisation services.
"The motivation of getting patients into the pharmacy is to get them using that as a health hub," he said.
"Our view is the appropriate home for that is with a doctor, who is not trying to sell you anything else.
"Pharmacy is an important part of primary care, but also a retail space trying to sell you products."
Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, George Tambassis, said authorising pharmacists to administer COVAX would support an accelerated rollout of the vaccines.
"Ultimately, the patient will decide where they want to get vaccinated," he said.
"We know patients want a choice, we're not saying GPs shouldn't be immunisers, you've just got to give the patient the choice."
Highlighting the need to have as many immunisers as possible administering COVAX, former Guild National President, Kos Sclavos, told Pharmacy Daily earlier this year, that "if every GP, every GP nurse, every vaccinating pharmacist had no other task but to vaccinate the population of Australia and New Zealand, that would take four months".
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 09 Dec 20
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 09 Dec 20
