Eligible Singapore citizens receiving influenza vaccination at a sandbox pharmacy will receive the same government subsidies as they would when they visit a Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) GP clinic.
The co-payment will be capped at between S$9 and S$35, similar to CHAS clinics. The actual charges at each sandbox pharmacy may vary.
Customers can walk into any of the three retail pharmacies to get their flu jab or make an appointment online through the pharmacies’ respective websites.
The initiative aims to assess how pharmacists can contribute to preventive healthcare in the community, said the ministry.
MOH said the latest influenza vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere season is now available.
It added that individuals who have a regular GP, including those who have already enrolled in Healthier SG, are encouraged to receive their vaccinations with their primary care provider for continuity of care.
MOH said the selected retail pharmacies were inspected to ensure they have the required setup and have met MOH’s requirements for a safe and conducive environment for vaccination services.
Only registered pharmacists who have completed the relevant training and competency assessments can administer the flu jabs.
As a routine safety measure, all vaccinated individuals will be observed for 15 minutes post-vaccination, with protocols in place for pharmacists to manage and provide advice on potential side effects.
GETTING THE ELDERLY VACCINATED
Getting vaccinations at pharmacies is a common practice in other countries, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Monday, who received a flu jab himself at the Unity Pharmacy outlet in Parkway Parade.
“In our case, the centre of care has been revolving around the GPs, and for good reasons as well. But today, we are focusing a lot more on preventive care, and this is, in turn, driven by a rapidly ageing population,” he said.
While Singapore’s influenza vaccination coverage has gone up over the years, the current rate of 40 per cent for those aged 65 and above can be improved, Mr Ong noted.
“For those who have run or have experienced running our hospitals, you will know that day to day, we still have many seniors coming to the A&E (accident and emergency department) falling very sick, not because of any very severe illness, but (because) they got an infection, including influenza infections, which can set them back for a long time”, said Mr Ong.
“Many do not recover and (this results) in deaths. They may be admitted into (the intensive care unit) and may stay very long in our hospitals,” he added.
“So at the hospital end, we can feel the burden of an ageing population being infected and developing severe illnesses – all of which we can prevent if we just increase the influenza vaccination coverage. It will help a great deal.”
GETTING PHARMACISTS MORE INVOLVED
Currently, Guardian Health & Beauty has four certified and approved pharmacist vaccinators while Unity Pharmacy has one and Watsons Singapore has three.
According to spokespersons from the three pharmacies, their pharmacists had to undergo an intensive course that included practical experience in administering different types of vaccinations to patients, as well as a competency assessment before they could be certified as vaccinators.
All three said they have plans to expand the number of certified pharmacist vaccinators but that it would depend on the response to the trial.
MOH said it will also monitor the vaccination uptake and feedback on the service delivery of the sandbox initiative.
Concurrently, it will explore how pharmacists can be more involved in a team-based care model with GPs, to provide a variety of services such as medication counselling and reconciliation as well as smoking cessation counselling for Singaporeans.
This will complement the work of GPs and the primary care healthcare team, and allow doctors to manage more complex chronic medical conditions, said MOH.
