Vaccination access and local centres
Deputies raised gaps in the vaccination rollout, including people who cannot travel to GP clinics and the lack of a centre on Cork’s northside. The Taoiseach said arrangements were being made through GPs for those confined to their homes and that GP surgeries and pharmacies would be central to vaccination delivery.
On the vaccination programme that is being rolled out throughout the country, which is very welcome and has been welcomed in all communities, there is a cohort of people who cannot leave their houses to attend GP clinics to get vaccinated and who are not being dealt with at the moment. I understand the vaccination programme people are looking at that, but a response is needed because I am inundated with calls about it, and I am sure every other Member in the House is as well. It needs to be dealt with and can be dealt with with a bit of imaginative thinking. It would put those people's minds at rest.
Comment on this
I have the same issue about vaccine centres. Three such centres were announced for Cork city, one in the city centre and two on the southside. Once again the northside of Cork city is being abandoned and forgotten about. There is no vaccination centre in one half of Cork city. It is not fair. There was also the closure of SouthDoc. There needs to be fairness when it comes to providing health services to the people of the northside. I am asking the Taoiseach, as a Cork Taoiseach, if he will get on to the HSE to ask it to provide a vaccination centre on the northside to ensure the people in both parts of the city are treated equally.
Comment on this
The regional college is in the west of the city. I do not mean to be facetious. There is good capacity in the city for vaccination. That is important.
Deputy Pringle made a very important point, which I want to acknowledge, about the need to ensure we can provide for people in their homes who cannot leave their homes because of conditions or illness. Measures are being organised through GPs to do that. I take the Deputy's point on that.
On Deputy Gould's point, the large majority of vaccinations will take place through GP surgeries and, ultimately, pharmacies. The vaccination centres are for where certain GPs have to get together because their surgeries would not be suitable, and they are for the mass vaccination that will take place in April, May and June. We must see it all as part of one framework for the administration of vaccines.