The Federal Government’s decision to push ahead with a prescription-based model for nicotine e-cigarettes has the potential to slow the vaccine rollout and entrench a black market for vaping products.
Australia lags most of the developed world in the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and is well short of its own targets.
By the Federal Government’s own admission, Australia’s vaccine rollout won’t gain pace until October – the same month it was supposed to be completed with much of this work falling on GPs.
It therefore makes no sense that at a time when GPs and pharmacies workloads will be massively increasing, the government will be forcing 520,000 e-cigarette using ex-smokers into GP waiting rooms to obtain a prescription for nicotine.
The time of GPs and other health professionals is precious and finite, so it really must be queried if having 520,000 ex-smokers who are not sick and have already quit through vaping, is the best use of a their time, especially during COVID.
Deborah Jackson – C-Store.com – 2021-08-03.
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