PHARMACISTS are not "dragging the chain" when it comes to reporting vaccinations they have provided to the Australian Immunisations Register (AIR), Pharmacy Guild of Australia Tasmanian Branch Director, Monique MacKrill, says.
Responding to the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance's Review of pharmacist vaccination reporting to AIR, which reported there was significant under-reporting to the register (PD 16 Jun), MacKrill told Pharmacy Daily that pharmacies were complying with State and Territory requirements.
"We reject any suggestion that pharmacists are dragging the chain on reporting vaccinations to the AIR," she said.
"In most states and territories, it is compulsory for pharmacies to record immunisations to AIR.
"The problem has been at the receiving end -- the AIR failing to register submitted data from pharmacy software.
"The AIR has confirmed there is a backlog of pharmacy data that has been appropriately submitted but which they have been unable to load onto the register."
A number of pharmacists have voiced concerns that the report was editorialised, on social media, with Pharmaceutical Society of Australia South Australia and Northern Territory Branch Vice President, Samuel Keitannpaa, noting on Twitter that there was "no mention if any discrepancy in AIR is from pharmacy or not".
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