Paul Daly (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and thank her for coming to address this matter. It is my first opportunity to formally congratulate her on her appointment so I wish her the very best of luck.

This topic continues from the matter raised by Senator Keogan, specifically the availability of the flu vaccine in GP practices. A number of GPs have contacted me, including my own GP, who have received their first delivery of the vaccine this year. The national cold chain service, which supplies the vaccine to GPs, has indicated that general practices can only receive an amount equivalent to last year's order. We are all aware of the current circumstances and conditions, and there is promotion of a programme to administer this vaccine to target groups. The numbers that were available last year will be insufficient this year.

The practice I mention had 240 vaccines per fortnight last year. It received 240 vaccines on 21 September but they were all used five days later. The practice will not receive another order until 5 October. With this in mind, something must be done to loosen the supply.Given the year that is in it, we cannot base orders on last year's numbers. There is no comparison between the two years. Target groups aside, it has been estimated that uptake by GPs' own patients alone is double last year's rate. This will create a significant issue. We all know people who attend for ordinary checkups or unrelated ailments and decide to have the flu vaccine. If it is not available and they are told that the next order will come in on, for example, 5 October, there will be queues outside GPs' clinics that day. That is the very thing we wish to avoid.

Will the Minister of State address this issue? It must be dealt with urgently. We are in flu season and people have already started getting the vaccine. The weather has changed to autumnal. Whatever flu strain there will be this year, it is probably not too far away. This is an important matter. GPs do not have an issue with administering the vaccine to target groups, a process that is funded by the HSE, but they are finding that they must use their private vaccine supplies to do so. This incurs a major cost on GPs' practices, but cost aside, it will place further constraints on their supplies for their own patients.