Thank you to aged care and healthcare workers and the medical admin staff who support them
July 30, 2021Whether you are in Campsie, Cooma, Coonabarabran or Coogee – it’s time for all of NSW to lock down
August 14, 2021AMA (NSW) is urging the NSW Government to make vaccinations mandatory for healthcare workers in hospitals to boost vaccination rates and help slow transmission of COVID-19 in healthcare facilities.
“Healthcare workers are already largely vaccine compliant but making vaccination a requirement will help push the minority over the line,” said AMA (NSW) President, Dr Danielle McMullen.
“The Delta variant is highly transmissible, and unfortunately, we have seen transmission in healthcare facilities and the death of patients after contracting COVID-19 in hospital.
“Our message to our colleagues is if you are not vaccinated, you should be taking the steps to protect yourself and your colleagues and get vaccinated now.
“PPE helps protect healthcare workers and patients in hospitals while working, but we know that there is still opportunity for transmission in tea rooms and staff rest areas. We need to close these gaps.
“Mandating the vaccine for healthcare workers in hospitals will help reduce the likelihood of COVID-19 transmission to other staff and patients.
“There is already policy in NSW which makes the annual flu vaccine mandatory for health staff in high-risk areas and front-line staff are required to show evidence they are inoculated against measles, diphtheria, tetanus, Hepatitis B, whooping cough and chickenpox.
“Our hospitals are stretched to meet patient demand. Every time there is an exposure event in hospital, we need to furlough healthcare workers, close wards and redeploy other staff. This impacts on our ability to care for patients and it impacts on the health and wellbeing of medical professionals who worry about taking the virus home to their own families,” Dr McMullen said.
Media contact: Andrea Cornish – 0419 402 955