Over half of GPs sign up to swine flu jab scheme
MORE than half of the country's GPs have agreed to give the swine flu vaccine to at-risk patients from next week.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed last night that 700 GP practices -- involving over 1,000 family doctors -- had signed up to administer the vaccine.
A spokesperson for the HSE described the response as positive, stating that doctors had two more days to indicate if they would take part in the scheme.
The HSE has written to the country's 2,000 doctors about giving the swine flu vaccine to around 400,000 patients with at-risk medical conditions from next week.
But the Irish Medical Organisation advised the doctors to seek clarification on the extent of legal indemnity available to them before formally telling the HSE that they will administer the vaccine.
There are concerns about the implications for doctors who do not take part in the programme. And GPs also feared they would have to fund their own legal representations if there were complaints to the Medical Council.
Meanwhile, the Asthma Society of Ireland yesterday urged asthma sufferers to be extra vigilant this autumn, saying a quarter of people hospitalised with swine flu in the UK have the condition.
"The threat of swine flu poses an additional risk for people with asthma," a spokesman said.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
