To simplify and relaunch vaccine policy in France, Marisol Touraine considered the possibility of authorizing several health professionals to give injections.
Will midwives, nurses and pharmacists be allowed to immunize the population? This is what Marisol Touraine suggested during a debate on vaccine policy organized on Tuesday April 23 in the Senate.
A few days after the publication of the new vaccination schedule, the Minister of Health confirms the need to relaunch vaccination in France by relaxing its terms. In fact, vaccination coverage against influenza, certain vaccines for children and vaccination reminders for adults have slowed down in recent years.
To cope with “reluctance to vaccination and the lack of readability of recommendations”, Marisol Touraine has opened several avenues.
The list of professionals authorized to vaccinate could be extended. In a pharmacy, midwives and nurses could, for example, ensure the vaccination of those around pregnant women. Likewise, pharmacists would be authorized on their own initiative to perform vaccination booster shots in adults.
The simplification of the vaccination schedule announced on April 15 – fewer injections, vaccination appointments at a fixed age – should contribute, according to the minister, “to better adherence”. The introduction of an electronic vaccination record would add to these simplification measures.
Finally, Marisol Touraine seems to have heard the appeal of professionals who demanded a general public information campaign. According to the minister, it will go through “modern techniques” such as social networks. In the event of crisis communication, as during the H1N1 pandemic, health professionals and patient associations will be “better associated”, she promises.
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