Liberal Opposition calls for free flu vaccines from April 1

The WA Liberal Opposition is calling on the Cook Labor Government to introduce fully

subsidised flu vaccinations for all Western Australians for six months from 1 April to

help ease pressure on the state’s already struggling hospital system ahead of winter.

‍

Shadow Health Minister Libby Mettam said the State Government should start the free

flu vaccination program in April, not May, extend it from two months to six months, and

ensure it is completely free, with no consultation fee or service charge where practical.

‍

“Under the current program many providers can still charge a consultation or service

fee, which means some families face out-of-pocket costs just to get vaccinated,” Ms

Mettam said.

‍

“At a time when Western Australians are already under significant cost-of-living

pressure, the Government should remove every barrier to vaccination and make sure

people can access the flu shot completely free of charge.”

‍

Ms Mettam said early action was essential given the already overwhelmed state of WA’s

hospital system and warnings of a severe European flu strain reaching Australia this

winter.

‍

“If last year’s numbers are anything to go by, thousands of Western Australians will

already be suffering from the flu — and we are still weeks away from the official start of

the flu season,” Ms Mettam said.

‍

“Record ambulance ramping last month shows our hospitals are already under greater

pressure than they were this time last year — and we all know how that ended:

overcrowded emergency departments, ambulances ramped outside hospitals,

cancelled surgeries and exhausted healthcare workers pushed to their limits.”

‍

Ms Mettam said Western Australia also had some of the lowest flu vaccinations rates in

the country.

‍

“In the two most vulnerable groups - children under five and seniors over 65 – Western

Australia is below the national average of vaccination rates,” she said.

‍

Ms Mettam said the Government’s winter surge plan, released earlier this month, had

been exposed as a sham and failed to address the underlying crisis in our hospitals.

‍

“With the second lowest number of beds per capita in the country, our hospitals simply

cannot cope. In ten years Labor has not built one new hospital,” she said.

‍

“Last year the Cook Labor Government kept blaming a bad winter flu season for a lack

of hospital beds and record ambulance ramping. Now we hear warnings about another

severe flu season, yet we are seeing not enough effort to boost vaccination rates.

‍

“Western Australians deserve a government that acts early and takes preventative steps

to keep people out of hospital. The most effective step we can take right now is to make

vaccinations free and as easy to access as possible.”

‍

MEDIA CONTACT: Graham Mason | 0419 194 792

‍