Hopefully
Delays in rolling out vaccine
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and they delivered at very reasonable cost, the difficult part was developing a brand new vaccine in record time, the easy bit should be the regulation and administering the vaccine. Why should doctors and pharmacist get at least 30 euro just to give an injection, that's gouging plane and simple. I wonder how much the UK are charging for injecting?
and they delivered at very reasonable cost, the difficult part was developing a brand new vaccine in record time, the easy bit should be the regulation and administering the vaccine. Why should doctors and pharmacist get at least 30 euro just to give an injection, that's gouging plane and simple. I wonder how much the UK are charging for injecting?
£12.58 per dose as far as I know. Considering the State is paying the cost of the vaccine, a €30 charge to cover "costs" does seem on the face of it excessive but then again hardly surprising
They get €30 every time someone calls up to see if they need a Covid test... or every time they say a call was to see if someone needed a Covid test. They are just keeping the bar at a similar standard, god bless them.
Now it's reasonable cost. You were claiming they were delivering it at cost with no profit!
There can be no surprise that doctors or pharmacists here would do anything other than charge for this service. Doctors routinely charge €50-60 for a consultation that might only last a couple of minutes.
That said, this isn't a simple in, jab, out. There is prep and administration to be done, vaccinators have to field any questions the patient may have, and then a post-jab observation period that varies from 15 minutes and up depending on medical history. Having patients in observation may affect the number of other patients that can be seen in that practice.
Pre-Covid, pharmacists that offered the flu-jab charged €30+. If €30 for the Covid vaccine is gouging, I don't believe they all jumped on that cash cow, nor was there much in the way of noise on cost.
Ah the old sure we always did it like this argument. The cost of the flu vaccine in the UK is GBP 10. Covid vaccine is GBP 12.58. I doubt Irish GP's or Irish Pharmacists are doing anything that they don't do in the UK.
There might well be a valid reason or reasons why it costs double than in the UK to do the same thing but there seems to be a large reluctance to tell us what they are. I bet if you asked, you would be told it is commercially sensitive information. As for GP's working in vaccination centres receiving €120 per hour. Who knew that giving injections was such a complicated job. How much are nurses and other non-GP's giving injections getting?
There is a perfectly valid reason; Iris GP's earn far more than GP's in the UK.
Paul O Mahoney
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Or junkies?
They have vast experience.
People need to understand that this isn't simply a jab, there are protocols to be followed and things need to be done properly.
Market economics is a simple concept, people have the skills and facilities to do this and that comes at a cost and that cost is €60 in Ireland.
GP's don't work in a sector which is open to market economics. They negotiate directly with the State as a group. They are, in effect, a monopoly. It's an inter-muscular injection so they don't have to find a vein, just your shoulder or the non hairy part of your backside.
For a person who is totally non-qualified in a related field to become qualified as a phlebotomist they have to undergo a one day course. That will qualify them to give intravenous injections as well. Hardly highly skilled. The ability to read a form and fill in a few bits extra is hardly the reserve of the intelligentsia. In reality a practice nurse on about €25 an hour will give the vaccines, an administrator will do the paperwork and on the rare occasion that someone "takes a turn" the GP will look them over.
There's a private Covid test center close to where I work. It's €120 a pop and you are in and out in 5 minutes. The vaccine will take less time.
Yeah because the choice is GP's or Junkies.....
. If we want to get ridiculous then ok....Do you think the only people giving vaccines at the moment are GP's or trained doctors? GP's being paid €120 per hour for working at vaccine centres. Simply want to know what they are doing that is different to the other people working there giving vaccines.....
This is the advice from the US CDC on how to administer a Covid19 vaccine
Paul O Mahoney
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Lads why are we even talking about this? Its just typical " knowing the price of everything and the value of nothing ".
2 months ago we didn't have a vaccine, 12 months ago we were faced with a virus that nobody knew anything about, today thats still true to an extent.
We face a simple choice either we vaccinate as many people as we can and try and prevent the deaths of our fellow citizens, 93 today alone, or we vent our spleen on professional peoples income or belittle them by undermining their skills.
Personally I think life is far more important than €60.
2 months ago we didn't have a vaccine, 12 months ago we were faced with a virus that nobody knew anything about, today thats still true to an extent.
We face a simple choice either we vaccinate as many people as we can and try and prevent the deaths of our fellow citizens, 93 today alone, or we vent our spleen on professional peoples income or belittle them by undermining their skills.
Personally I think life is far more important than €60.
Paul O Mahoney
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And ?
No, it's that this is old news. These charges are the norm, they are not specific to the COVID vaccine roll-out and would be better addressed in a holistic approach. We're not getting good value, but that's specific to this service.
So because we question something, it is because we don't value human life or something. And nobody is belittling or undermining anyone.
And the idea that someone is suggesting a life isn't worth €60 is just nonsensical. If we have to pay the GP's €500 to save lives then do it. All I want to know is how the cost was decided between the Government and the Medical Bodies if the same activity is being done for half the price elsewhere. Might well be valid reasons but I would have thought we have other parts of the health service that could have done with the tens of millions that we could have been saved if the same price was agreed in Ireland as in the UK. It's a perfectly reasonable question.
We have had years and years of these sorts of agreements. Just because it is Covid related doesn't make it any better. Indeed it is getting worse because we have lost perspective about what €91 million actually is. Millions. Billions. It doesn't seem to matter anymore...
Paul O Mahoney
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Why do you need to know what difference does it make that you know?
You claim that if it was €500 you'd be happy but you aren't happy at €60?
The €91m has been explained in detail and widely in the media and the Minister has been up front with the costs.
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Because its my money. I am entitled to ask. That's how democracy works. The 91 million hasn't been explained in detail. We have got no detail. Other groups like st John ambulance staff are also going to be involved in providing vaccinations. I doubt they are going to get getting 60 euro for two injections or 120 per hour for working at vaccine centres. I don't see why you are so defensive about people questioning the spending of 91 million. You seem to be suggesting that it is because it is such a specialised function. Its not. They have made it clear that they will be training thousands of people to administer the vaccine. Are they all on €120 per hour???
Last comment on this. This is not going to be a once off vaccination shot. We will probably need this at least annually. Like Leo said, we seem to just looked at the cost of the flu jab and decided that was the going rate instead of actually seeing what the cost was. I am sorry if expecting more detail around something that will cost over €100m if not hundreds of millions every single year is expecting too much.
I heard a piece on newstalk business this morning that the Bould Leo wants to give the competition authority even more powers which only the gardai now have to snoop on private businesses to find out if they are price fixing, even allowing competition authority personnel to pretend they are business people from competing companies.
Yet we have sweet heart deals between government, Doctors and pharmacies and the Bould Leo even engaged in price fixing himself by leaking confidential information on pay to a mate from a rival doctors organisation. Its great when you are inside the tent alright.
Paul O Mahoney
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How's it your money?
If you are trying to say that your taxes are paying for it , it is, but isn't that whats tax is about to cover the cost of health and other stuff?
If you feel so strongly don't get the vaccine as a point of principle.
We need the population vaccinated and that costs money, if you can come up with some other methods please share them.