COVID-19 Vaccination Rollout

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question on the topic of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout to pharmacies to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: With lots of GPs and medical centres booked out for COVID-19 vaccinations, some for as many as a few months into the future, people are being advised by their regular doctors to go to other clinics or indeed, as the minister has mentioned today, the vaccination hubs. Some clinics have told patients that they are no longer taking bookings and, as has been raised with me by my constituents, this has actually caused quite a level of uncertainty, making vaccinations difficult to make an appointment for.

For example, some people have become quite distressed that they are now being asked to present to new GP clinics with their patient health summary to fill out new patient registration forms just to get a vaccination, and they don't want to share that private health information with a new doctor or practice and they don't want to become a patient at that practice. I would note that many of those practices are refusing new clients who simply only want to get a vaccination, in my own experience.

Other patients just don't want to go to the vaccination hubs because they are large and, while they might have car parking, as the minister noted earlier in question time, they are unfamiliar and patients are not confident in getting to them. I certainly have seen information on various pharmacy websites saying they are proud community partners and will be part of the vaccination rollout come phase 2a. My reading says that we are now at phase 2a, so my question to the minister is: when will pharmacies have vaccinations for COVID-19?

The Hon. S.G. WADE (Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:15): The COVID-19 vaccination program is fundamentally commonwealth-led. The commonwealth did an expressions of interest process for GPs earlier this year and, subsequently to that, an expressions of interest process for pharmacists. Certainly, the engagement of pharmacies is being considered by the national cabinet and the Australian governments that are represented there.

I would take the opportunity to stress that, whether or not a particular pharmacy is providing the COVID-19 vaccination, the pharmacists are providing a very valuable vaccination service as we speak in relation to the flu vaccine. It is disappointing to see lower vaccination rates for the flu than we have had in previous years. I would urge South Australians not to miss the opportunity to get a flu vaccine and, in that regard, one's local pharmacist will often be the site of choice.

The honourable member makes a very valid point: pharmacists are trusted health professionals, often better known by their customers than even their own GP, depending on the health issues they have and the way they manage them. Certainly, this government is very keen to continue to partner with pharmacies and we certainly see pharmacists as a potential resource moving forward in the COVID-19 vaccination program.