The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) New South Wales Branch welcomes the announcement that pharmacist immunisers in NSW can now administer vaccines under the NSW School Vaccination Program.
On Saturday, the NSW Health Minister, Brad Hazard, confirmed changes to allow trained pharmacist immunisers to supply and administer National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines to NSW children who are eligible for vaccination in the NSW School Vaccination Program.
Pharmacist immunisers can now administer human papillomavirus (HPV) and diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) vaccines to people 12 years and over, and the meningococcal ACWY (MenACWY) vaccine to people over 14 years.
PSA NSW Branch President, Chelsea Felkai, said this move will significantly improve vaccine access for young people across NSW.
“This is very welcome news for New South Wales pharmacist immunisers. Pharmacists have proven themselves time and time again through the COVID-19 pandemic as one of our most accessible healthcare workforces. They are trained and experienced in vaccinating younger age groups.
“We are delighted that pharmacists will now be able to contribute to increasing vaccine accessibility and immunisation rates across our school population.
“It is essential that all NSW children have timely access to HPV, dTpa and MenACWY vaccines. Vaccination is the best way to ensure these susceptible populations and their families are protected against vaccine-preventable diseases – they will now have the convenient option of protecting themselves through local pharmacies.
“PSA has been advocating for this for some time, as highlighted in our most recent budget submission. We must continue to remove barriers to vaccination and ensure that pharmacists are properly remunerated for the vaccination services they provide,” Ms Felkai said.
PSA will continue to work closely with the New South Wales Government to improve vaccine accessibility for all New South Wales residents.
