IRELAND: Top insurer tells 1,000 GPs not to give swine flu
vaccine
http://www.independent.ie/health/swine-flu/top-insurer-tells-1000-gps-not-to-give-swine-flu-vaccine-1912502.html
By Eilish O'Regan, Health Correspondent
Wednesday October 14 2009
An insurance company has warned 1,000 GPs not to administer the swine flu
vaccine.
The
HSE plans to enlist family doctors to give the swine flu vaccine to patients
with pre-existing medical conditions.
But an insurance company which covers around 1,000 of the 2,200 to 2,500 GPs in
the country advised them not to sign up for the work because of legal indemnity
issues.
The HSE has given GPs until today to sign up to give the vaccine to 400,000 of
their patients with certain medical conditions from next week.
Medisec Ireland, which
covers around 1,000 GPs, told their members yesterday not to sign up until all
indemnity issues were resolved.
GP sources said last night this may lead some doctors who have signed up to
withdraw their participation in the programme.
In a letter to the doctors Medisec said it was unclear where a GP would legally
stand if they exercised their discretion not to give the vaccine to their
patients.
There are also unresolved legal issues around the doctors identifying and
offering the vaccine to at-risk patients.
The company said the
Irish
Medical Organisation had been trying to negotiate an acceptable resolution
to the serious medico/legal issues with the HSE, but had not been successful.
Other concerns relate to the cost of legal representation for doctors who may
find themselves before their disciplinary body the Medical Council if they fail
to give the vaccine to a patient.
They could also have to go before the same body for exercising their clinical
judgment not to administer the vaccine to a patient of another doctor who had
been referred to them.
Concern
The letter to GPs said that while the administration of the vaccine would be
deemed normal work and covered by a doctor's policy, the outstanding issues of
concern might not fall into this category due to the amount of work involved and
could lead to "adverse indemnity consequences".
It added: "Accordingly, in the circumstances, we do not recommend our members to
sign up for the programme until all issues have been resolved."
The other company indemnifying doctors, the
Medical Protection Society, is believed to have indicated GPs could go ahead
with the vaccinations.
The HSE may have to extend today's deadline for more clarification. It plans to
publicise the rollout of the vaccine to at-risk patients tomorrow.
- Eilish O'Regan, Health Correspondent
Irish Independent