A NUMBER of GPs who have opted not to participate in the HSE’s swine flu vaccination programme of at-risk patients yesterday received deliveries of the pandemic vaccine by mistake.
Three GPs, all Dublin based, who spoke to The Irish Times said they also discovered they were listed to receive supplies of the vaccine in coming days despite the fact that they had opted not to take part in the programme.
Dr Jim Keely, a GP in Malahide, said when he checked yesterday to see when his doses of the seasonal flu vaccine would arrive, he was told by the distributors he was also down to receive a delivery of the swine flu vaccine.
The HSE began deliveries of the swine flu vaccine to GP surgeries yesterday.
Dr Keely said when he asked the distributors why he was listed to receive swine flu vaccine, he was told he was on a list provided to it by the HSE.
“They are out and delivering this to people that never ordered it. It’s a shambles. There could be a tremendous amount of wastage if people are sent vaccines that they haven’t requested.”
Dr Keely said he was not partaking in the vaccination scheme because of the responsibilities put on GPs by the programme, including a request that they identify all at-risk patients in their area and because his insurer Medisec had concerns about it.
Furthermore, he said, when some of his patients asked the HSE where they could get it instead, nobody could give them details of alternative arrangements.
Two other GPs, one in Dublin’s north inner city and one in north Dublin, said they had similar experiences.
The HSE said errors occurred in just a small number of cases. It said in order to ensure timely delivery of vaccines to GPs yesterday, delivery schedule lists needed to be finalised by lunchtime on Friday last, at which time the position of a small number of GPs was unclear.
“To make sure as many GPs who wanted vaccine received it, the National Cold Chain Service brought pandemic vaccine to some GP sites where it was unclear whether they wished it or not – hence the small number of GPs, we estimate approximately a dozen, who do not wish to participate in the vaccination programme receiving vaccines yesterday,” it said.
It insisted, despite suggestions by the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) that a large number of GPs had concerns about taking part in the vaccination programme, that more than 1,800 GPs had stated unequivocally they would like to receive the vaccine.
Meanwhile in a letter to the IMO yesterday, the HSE stressed there was no onus on GPs to directly contact each at-risk patient to ensure they get the swine flu vaccine. It also said it would directly administer the vaccine to patients whose GPs were not taking part in the programme from the week of October 26th.