POLITICIANS at both State and Federal levels need to stop arguing and focus their efforts on removing barriers to accessing COVID-19 vaccines, Pharmacy Guild of Australia Victorian Branch President, Anthony Tassone, believes.
With Victoria in the grip of a fourth COVID-induced lockdown, Tassone reiterated calls for State Health Minister, Michael Foley, to give the green-light for community pharmacies to join the immunisation program.
"The Guild has been in ongoing contact with the Victorian Minister for Health and Department of Health over the weekend imploring them to activate community pharmacies in Victoria to deliver COVID vaccinations," Tassone said.
"Limitations of supply and certainty of future deliveries of vaccine stock continue to be the barriers put to the Guild as to why pharmacies have not been activated in Victoria.
"The Guild has reached out to the Federal Minister for Health, Greg Hunt's office to seek further assistance working with the Victorian Government of whether additional stock can be allocated to to address this.
"Over 800 community pharmacies in Victoria have been approved to deliver the COVID vaccination, yet look on from the sidelines as queues of up to six hours build up at mass vaccination centres or patients are turned away.
"Every day in pharmacies across Victoria - from Mildura to Gippsland and in between, there are ready, willing and eligible patients being turned away from being vaccinated as pharmacies don't have stock and don't know when they will.
"For a state in its fourth lockdown this beggars belief that eligible patients can't access the vaccine from their local pharmacy, may have to wait weeks for a GP appointment or can't get through the booking system to attend a mass vaccination hub.
"Whether one thinks the vaccine roll out is a "race" or not - what we know is pharmacies aren't even on the track and the relay team needs help for the next leg to help finish the job.
"If State and Federal Governments could just put on hold their war of words for a moment and sort out activation of community pharmacies to help patients get vaccinated and protected - then we can take our next step on the road to recovery."
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 31 May 21
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