30 July 2021

Rural Roulette: NSW Government diverts vaccines from the bush Rural doctors are outraged that the NSW Premier, Gladys Berejiklian has announced that Pfizer vaccines are being redirected from rural communities to metro school students. Dr John Hall, President of the Rural Doctors Association of Australia (RDAA) said that it would leave rural communities to play catch up in case of a local outbreak. “Most rural communities have already been waiting months for access to the Pfizer vaccine, with many vulnerable patients, health workers and other Priority 1A people still waiting for their first dose,” Dr Hall said. “These are the very same people who will be at risk or called upon to provide care if there is an outbreak in a rural community. “To have their supply of Pfizer vaccines snatched from them so it can be made available to school students in Sydney is simply unacceptable. “It only takes one drive into the country to take Sydney out into the bush and we have already seen how the movement of essential workers has put rural people at risk. “We need to be proactive and preventative when planning the distribution of vaccines. Every time it is removed from a rural area, another community is left vulnerable,” Dr Hall said. The Pfizer vaccine administration was limited to State Government facilitated Vaccine Hubs in regional centres and it has only started trickling into GP practices, in very small amounts, over the past couple of weeks. Rural people have had significantly poorer access to Pfizer than their city counterparts, with their only option often to travel many hours to access a Vaccine Hub. Not all have been able to do this. “Rural hospitals and medical centres already have a more limited surge capacity in case of an outbreak, simply due to the smaller number of health workers in the regions,” Dr Hall said. “The Pfizer vaccine is essential to protecting the very people who will protect us in case of an outbreak. Other members of the public have also been waiting months for vaccines to arrive in their local area. “To have them snatched away at the eleventh hour is outrageous. “Remote learning is hard, but it is an option. Protecting entire communities from COVID should be prioritised over ensuring year 12 students can sit their exams.

“We call on the NSW Government to rethink this strategy and remember that rural people need protecting too.” A high resolution photo of Dr John Hall is available here. Available for interview: RDAA President, Dr John Hall RDAA CEO, Peta Rutherford State specific contacts also available. Media contacts: Ineke Kuiper on 0408 669 638 Patrick Daley on 0408 004 890