Community pharmacies in NSW including Dubbo have hoops to jump through if they want to administer COVID-19 vaccinations, which would be free to the public.
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The federal government is calling for expressions of interest from pharmacies across the nation to help vaccinate millions of Australians.
Their involvement in the five-phase rollout will depend on extra training, IT upgrades, quality assurance accreditation and a tick of approval from most states and territories.
Currently, only the Queensland government has given pharmacists permission to deliver COVID-19 jabs.
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Co-owner of Dubbo's Orana Mall Pharmacy and elected official of the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, Simon Blacker, has welcomed the Community Pharmacy COVID-19 Vaccination Program, set to begin from the rollout's third phase called 2a in May.
"I think it's important we are involved because we are accessible and people rely on us for advice," he said.
"It's great to have us there to help allay community concerns and to encourage people to get vaccinated.
"It's really important that as many of us as possible get vaccinated."
Participating pharmacists, like all other health professionals involved in the rollout, will have to undertake compulsory and online study.
Mr Blacker said pharmacists would need to learn about the AstraZeneca vaccine but the not the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine which must be kept at minus 70 degrees Celsius.
It will be used at 11 vaccine hubs in NSW, including Dubbo Hospital, under the rollout's first phase called 1a from later this month with recipients including frontline health workers and aged care residents.
Mr Blacker said pharmacies wanting to be part of the rollout would also need IT upgrades so vaccinations could be recorded "seamlessly" with the Australian Immunisation Register.
Quality assurance accreditation was a must with about 95 per cent of Australian pharmacies already in possession of it, he said.
In a first, the federal government will pay regional, rural and remote pharmacists $48 if they give patients the required two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
"GPs have a similar incentive," Mr Blacker said.
The federal government will provide the vaccines to the pharmacies at no cost and they in turn will not charge patients.
Mr Blacker said the guild was keen for pharmacists to get involved in the rollout of the vaccines and insists their development "hasn't been rushed".
"It's been compressed," he said.
"Red tape has been removed and things have been able to be done in a more-timely fashion."
The phases of the rollout are outlined at www.health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/getting-vaccinated-for-covid-19/who-will-get-the-vaccines#covid19-vaccine-national-rollout-phases