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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2022-06-02 Daily Xml
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Flu Vaccination

Mrs HURN (Schubert) (14:13): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. What steps is the minister taking to ensure that South Australians are not being improperly charged for their flu vaccinations? With your leave, and that of the house, I will explain.

Leave granted.

Mrs HURN: On ABC radio this week, Port Augusta resident Gayle said she was surprised when she presented for her vaccine appointment at the local pharmacy only to be told that she would have to pay for it.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (14:14): Firstly, I want to thank the pharmacists and the general practitioners across South Australia, who are doing their absolute best to make sure that people are vaccinated for the flu. I'm not going to support the attacks that we're hearing from those opposite on the pharmacists of South Australia in terms of the work that they're doing to protect South Australians from the flu.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Chaffey!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: This government have embarked upon a first in South Australia, which is providing free flu vaccinations for the first time.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Schubert is on one warning.

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: This didn't happen last year or the year before or the year before or the year before that. This is happening for the first time. We are working with general practitioners and with pharmacists in terms of delivering this program. From the beginning, we have asked in terms of patients, in terms of working with pharmacists and general practitioners—I saw the transcript that the member for Schubert is referring to—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —which I understand the pharmacy was following up in terms of addressing that situation. I thank all those pharmacies who in a short period of time have been changing their systems and making sure that they can provide these vaccines for free. We are working with pharmacists and general practitioners to make sure that this can happen, that people can get access and that they can be vaccinated.

The truth is that we are seeing an increased number of flu detections in South Australia at the moment, particularly influenza A. There are now over 1,800 cases of the flu—and that's only those who have been tested. I'm sure there are actually many more out in the community. We know that of these we have detected about 10 per cent have actually been hospitalised. This is another element of pressure on the health system; it has been increasing over the last couple of weeks. At the same time, we know that only about 33 per cent of South Australians have been protected from the flu. The vast majority of people over the age of 65 have done so—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Hammond!

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —I believe about 69 per cent of those. But what we are seeing is a particularly large number of cases in younger people. The median age of people who have been detected at the moment is only 19 years, which shows that about half the people are children. Where we have had previously, consistently, a free flu vaccination program for children under the age of five, only 13 per cent of under five year olds have used that vaccine so far.

So through you, Mr Speaker, we are really putting out the call to South Australians to come forward to get access to that vaccine. There are many, many hundreds of ways to do that through general practice and through pharmacies at the moment. I want to thank all those general practitioners and pharmacists who have been working with SA Health to put in place this new system in a very rapid period of time.

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