Transcript - Sunrise - Free flu jabs

Transcript: AMA Queensland President, Dr Maria Boulton, Sunrise, Tuesday 18 July 2023

Subjects: Free flu vaccinations

MONIQUE WRIGHT:   Now there are calls to make flu shots free nationwide. It comes after the Queensland Government announced a free vaccination blitz for all residents in the face of an absolutely horrible influenza season. And while vulnerable Aussies can already get a jab at no cost, the rest of the country can expect to pay anywhere between $20 and $30. Queensland's jab incentive is only temporary, with the program running across the state until the end of August. Dr Maria Boulton is the President of the Australian Medical Association in Queensland. Morning to you, doctor, thanks for being with us. Wow, is this too little too late?

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Good morning, Mon. It's not too late. We're still seeing an increase in the cases of especially influenza B in Queensland and it's affecting younger people. We’re seeing that 50 per cent of the people in hospital are at the moment are under 20 years of age. The cases keep rising and we haven't seen a peak yet. So we do encourage people to step up and go and book for a flu vaccine.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:   Maria, it must be so frustrating for your members, for doctors and nurses on the front line to see so many cases that are ending up in hospital, overwhelming hospitals in a lot of cases, when it can be preventable, maybe not getting it, but the severity can definitely be mitigated enormously by getting this flu shot. But people can't afford it at the moment.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   That is why we are backing this initiative to make flu vaccines free for all, for the future. We just can't be doing this every year in mid-winter, declaring that flu vaccines will be free because then people will expect it and then they will wait until they are free. And yes, the cost of living pressures are biting. When you have a family of four people, cost does add up. That's why it's so important for the government to consider funding this initiative, so that Queensland families and Australian families have better access to those vaccines.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:   Okay. So we're looking at between $5 and $10 million that this would cost, which I imagine is relatively small when you think about not only the personal cost but the cost of caring for all these people and taking them out of the economy.

DR MARIA BOULTON:   Yes. And the cost of losing people. We've lost 56 Queenslanders already, which is incredibly sad. Our hospitals are very strained at the moment, so whatever we can do to keep people healthy, out of hospital and to continue working and going to school makes perfect sense. These vaccines have been around for decades. They're very safe. Anyone over the age of six months is eligible. And we know that they do help and they definitely help keeping people out of hospital.

MONIQUE WRIGHT:   Thank you very much, Dr Maria Boulton. Appreciate it.