The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s (PSA) WA Branch welcomes the expansion of the state’s vaccination program, announced today by WA Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson.
WA pharmacist immunisers will soon be able to administer National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccinations, including influenza vaccines to children aged 5 years and over, who are eligible under the program.
In addition, adolescents will have greater access to vaccines including human papillomavirus (HPV), diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (dTpa), meningococcal ACWY, measles-mumps-rubella and COVID vaccinations, with pharmacists to be allowed to administer all of these vaccines in line with the state immunisation schedule.
PSA WA Branch President, Keegan Wong, welcomed the move.
“This is great news for Western Australian parents, with the program’s expansion now meaning that their children can get vaccinated against the flu by their local pharmacist.
“With the flu season now in full swing, we need to do everything we can to protect Australian children, who can be influenza super-spreaders, by increasing access to vaccination and providing them and their families with optimal protection against this deadly disease.
“School holidays are a great opportunity for kids to come in for their COVID-19 and influenza vaccines on the same day, so strike while the iron’s hot and make an appointment for the whole family today through your local pharmacy.
“It also pleasing that state’s vaccination program will soon include vaccination against HPV along with further alignment of age eligibility, and we commend the McGowan Government for this move.
PSA will continue to work closely with the WA Government to improve accessibility to the seasonal influenza vaccine, ultimately improving access for vulnerable Western Australians.
“It is critical that governments continue to remove barriers to vaccination and align the funding and regulation of pharmacist-administered vaccinations with that of all other authorised immunisers and today’s announcement is a step in the right direction,” Mr Wong said.
PSA will also work with the incoming federal government to further reduce financial barriers to vaccination by seeking an MBS service payment to pharmacists for administering National Immunisation Program (NIP) vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines.
