Booster remuneration ‘short-sighted’

COMMUNITY pharmacies may well question their involvement in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccination booster shots, if the Federal Government fails to deliver “adequate remuneration” the Pharmacy Guild of Australia warns.

While welcoming the decision to including pharmacies in the booster campaign, Guild National President, Trent Twomey, hit out at the Government’s $16 per jab fee.

“We know that many patients will come to their community pharmacist as their trusted health professional with questions about the booster shot,” Twomey said.

“Quite frankly, people already are confused and suffering information overload after endless messaging about the COVID-19 vaccine.

“They will turn to their community pharmacy for answers about the booster shot.

“Many patients will need to have the program explained in detail as the messaging to date has been confusing.

“They will need explanations on why the vaccine can be changed, the timelines between their second shot and their eligibility for the booster, and so on.

“All this takes a great deal of time and the failure by government to recognise this is short-sighted.”

Twomey noted that the current fee had the potential to act as a disincentive to pharmacies that have played a key role in boosting vaccination rates.

“If providing booster shots ends up being uneconomical for pharmacies, some may well question their willingness to provide it,” he said.

MEANWHILE, disillusioned by the level of remuneration, and the complexity of the rules, the owners of Harpers Pharmacy Earlwood, in Sydney’s western suburbs, urged severely immunocompromised patients to consider going to their GP for a booster shot, in a Facebook post on 14 Oct.

“The Australian Government is not reimbursing pharmacies an adequate amount to even cover our costs for providing this service so if you would rather get a booster dose of Pfizer at the doctor we would appreciate it,” the owners said.

“If you can’t get it done at the GP or if your doctor has recommended the Moderna vaccine then we will of course be happy to help.”