€91m plan for GPs, pharmacists to give vaccine

The Cabinet will be asked to consider a €91m deal which will see GPs and pharmacists administer Covid-19 vaccines from early February.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo before Cabinet which will see GPs and pharmacists paid up to €60 per patient to administer vaccines on their premises.

They are being paid €20 per each vaccination administered, along with a €10 fee for processing each patient.

This means in total they will receive €60 per person vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, as it requires two dose.

They will receive €35 per single-dose vaccine once they are cleared by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

There will be separate rates for GPs and pharmacists who administer vaccines in HSErun vaccination centres. GPs will be paid €120 per hour and pharmacists €70 per hour under the proposal being brought to Cabinet.

It is hoped around 1.5 million people will be vaccinated by GPs and pharmacists, including the vast majority of those over 70 years of age.

It is expected GPs and pharmacists will begin vaccinating people in early February.

The Cabinet will also consider a separate €100 payment for student nurses who have worked through the pandemic.

The payment was recommended in a report given to the Government following a public backlash over the decision to stop a payment for student nurses introduced at the start of the pandemic.

The new €100 Pandemic Placement Grant will cost €5.4m and will be backdated to September if agreed by Cabinet.