Archive for category: NEWS & ARTICLES

Amid concerns over the Covid vaccine roll-out, the Federal Government has mandated that from 1 March, all vaccine providers will be required to report influenza vaccinations to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) and report all other National Immunisation Program vaccinations from 1 July on pain of a $6660 fine for failing to do so.

Comment on the new provisions suggest general support for the need to register, but opposition to the draconian fine for not doing so, with one GP describing the fine as “unbelievable”.

Following successful representation by the AGPA and other medical lobby groups the Australian Government will provide some consumables for the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Update from Dr Maria Boulton, AGPA Representative, Primary Care Implementation Group (PCIG) for Week Ending 5 march 2021

Primary Health Care COVID-19 Response Teleconference 3 March 2021.

[Web Team’s Key point: Roll-out to be done in a large number of places with smaller numbers of doses in each rather than a smaller number of places with large numbers of doses as recommended by AGPA in January (https://australiangpalliance.com.au/2021/01/30/inadequate-government-funding-will-slow-delivery-of-covid-19-vaccinations/) because this mirrors the nature of primary care in Australia.]

Media Release 29 January 2021

The Australian General Practice Alliance (AGPA) is concerned that the failure to utilise the full power of General Practice under the current phase 1b vaccination program will delay the COVID 19 vaccine rollout and impact on its effectiveness.

The Australian General Practice Alliance believes that vaccination by a person’s ‘own” GP as part of a holistic and safe primary healthcare approach is the best way to deliver COVID 19 vaccinations as it is for all other vaccinations. The infrastructure, expertise and experience to deliver vaccinations already exists and can be rapidly and safely adapted for this purpose.