Loretta Roberts, National Director of the Immunisation
Advisory Centre (IMAC) responds to the Immunisation
Taskforce report Initial Priorities for the National
Immunisation Programme in Aotearoa (the
report).
The Immunisation Advisory Centre welcomes the
report of the Immunisation Taskforce.
It is great to
see Te Whatu Ora prioritising sector-wide improvements to
lift immunisation rates. We are already working with them on
a number of recommendations and look forward to progressing
these alongside Te Whatu Ora and Te Aka Whai Ora and all
those in the sector who support and provide the National
Immunisation Programme.
IMAC was set up in 1997 by a
small number of vaccination experts in response to low
childhood immunisation rates, which were around 60 percent
overall, lower for our Māori and Pacific tamariki. Huge
progress was made with the advocacy, education and
information services of IMAC and others, which led to a
focus on this issue by Ministry, regional and district
health organisations. By working together with the sector,
using targets and resourcing, significant progress was made.
By 2012 New Zealand vaccination rates for 2 year olds
reached 93 percent overall, and 92 percent for
Māori.
The drop since then is serious, likely caused
by a number of issues, including access and the spread of
misinformation. However, the huge vaccination rates achieved
for COVID-19 in the initial vaccination period, ie over 90
percent of those eligible, show that we can lift vaccination
rates quickly with the right focus, flexibility of approach
and resourcing.
There are sector wide issues that are
raised by the Immunisation Taskforce, which we all agree,
definitely need addressing. We do not want barriers of any
form in the way of immunisation.
The report discusses
the ‘authorisation process’ which, as the Taskforce
notes, is governed by legislation, administered by the
Ministry of Health and implemented by medical officers of
health. IMAC’s role is providing vaccinator education and
training and supporting those who have been trained. It is
one part of the system that supports the National
Immunisation Programme.
We have played a key role in
breaking down barriers by implementing new vaccination
training pathways that are working for Māori and Pacific
healthcare providers and the pharmacy sector.
The
first was providing training for the Covid Vaccinator
Working Under Supervision, which has now expanded to the
Vaccinating Health Worker role. These roles were key to
delivering high COVID vaccination rates. We have also
advocated to update the Medicines Act so that a greater
variety of vaccines can be administered by a greater range
of health workers, pharmacies and other outlets. IMAC and
the Ministry of Health (at the time) also worked rapidly to
put in place the Provisional Vaccinator Foundation Course
that allowed more vaccinators to give MMR, Influenza and
then COVID vaccine in the early days of the pandemic, to
provide support to the existing workforce.
We have
significantly increased access to our courses over the last
three years, both face to face and online and have
implemented a new Learning Management System that is able to
support and provide education to the increased
workforce.
IMAC’s goal is that all communities are
equitably protected from vaccine-preventable diseases. To
contribute to this goal, our experts provide advice on
immunisation to the health workforce, Government and media.
We also provide education, communications and professional
development on everything vaccine-related to the health
workforce.
It is a top priority for us to support the
work of Māori, Pacific, and other health providers to
ensure our services support greater equity, and better
outcomes for everyone.
A new plan ahead, using the
recommendations from the Taskforce report, is very timely
and exactly what is
needed.
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