By Cam Lucadou-Wells and Sahar Foladi
Greater Dandenong acting mayor Lana Formoso says a State Government plan to cease funding an award-winning refugee immunisation program poses a “serious public health risk”.
As recently reported by the Star Journal, councillors and the Southern Migrant Refugee Centre have spoken out against the imminent end of the Program for Refugee Immunisation Monitoring and Education (PRIME).
Since it began in 2016, vaccination coverage for refugee and asylum seekers rose from 24 per cent to 84 per cent.
“With PRIME ceasing, it is anticipated that more than 80 per cent of refugees potentially unvaccinated or under-immunised,” Cr Formoso said.
“High public immunisation levels are a critical safety net, not just for our refugee and asylum seeker communities, but for our state’s population at large, ensuring that protection from preventable diseases is always maximised.”
She said the South East Primary Health Network was not consulted on the decision to transition the service to the primary care system.
Cr Formoso said primary health didn’t have the resources to cope with the 1600 expected referrals.
Of 107 GPs contacted by the council, only 14 had capacity to take referrals.
None had access to international vaccination records, and there was a lack of bilingual and culturally specialised services, she said.
The council’s PRIME team recently won the GSK Immunisation Award at the 2023 Public Health Association of Australia conference
Cr Formoso also sounded the alarm on the Government stopping funding on the council-run immunisation catch-up program at Noble Park English Language School.
Both programs are set to end by 31 December.
Dandenong MP Gabrielle Williams recently told Star Journal that PRIME began in 2016 to fill in the gaps left by the previous Federal Government.
“The program will transition to a primary care-led model which is consistent with Commonwealth Government’s Australian Immunisation Handbook on catch-up vaccination services for refugees.
“Primary care already provides most people with catch-up immunisation services and vaccines for refugee and asylum seeker communities remain free under the Commonwealth’s National Immunisation Program.
“The Victorian Government will work closely with the Commonwealth during this transition to ensure individuals continue to get the care and treatment they need.”
