Flu Injections in Canberra?

We get ours done (for the same reason) at Tuggeranong Square Medical Practise. The doctor bulk bills DD (the health care card holder) and her injection is free. Sounds like that Gp you found was not very helpful. I have in previous years had to drag her to the chemist to get the script filled, but at TSMP they had heaps on hand so that was not necessary.

You could also try the Walk in Centre at the Canberra Hosp, it is staffed by nurses. Not sure if they do flu shots though. Or try ringing some more helpful GPs.

Thanks for all the info, much appreciated.

The Flu vaccine needs to be taken with an understanding of the consequences..

Firstly, just because you have the flu vaccine, it doesnt mean you wont get the flu. The vaccine protects against the 3 strains that the WHO believes will be most common the following flu season. Just because you have had the flu shot, it doesnt mean you wont catch the flu, it just means youre protected against 3 of the strains For example, the 2008 vaccine was found to be ineffective against between 87% – 93% of the infections it was meant to treat.

Secondly, once you have the flu shot once, you are then more vulnerable the following year to the 3 strains you were protected against this time. If you contract the flu naturally and your body produces antibodies, you are generally covered for a couple of years, and are not MORE vulnerable than before you contracted the infection.

What is with these people asking questions like this lately?
No, you dont need snow chains to drive the hume highway.
Yes, you will need a heater and warm clothes.
No, you wont die within 3 months of arriving in Canberra without a flu-shot, even if the AMA says so

Being a born and bred this is weird. You should not all have to be checked. Sounds like that GP is trying to gain clients. Which is even weirder as most people that try to change GPs are told, no go their books are full and they need to wait years.
Try the Erindale Medical Centre somebody listed earlier or the Gowrie Medical Centre.

If you get down to the Jamison Centre right now the flu vax van is there for $35 a pop

We’ve just recently started going to the Fisher Family Practice (although we live on the northside) where you can book yourself in for the flu jab etc with the nurse without having to see a doctor. We didn’t have to faff around having to supply the vaccine ourselves and it was quick and easy. The nurse is lovely and tries to distract you by chatting while she does the injection (having a phobia of injections, this helped me loads). They also do childhood vaccinations for free as well.

I’m in a similar situation actually. I wanted to get a whooping cough booster, having missed getting the free one as I didn’t know anything about it when I arrived to Canberra last year and nobody thought to mention it to me when taking my children for their health checks.

So, I rang my GP to organise getting a booster, which I expect to pay for, and they will issue me a script, which I have to take to the chemist and then keep in my fridge and take to my appointment with the nurse for her to vaccinate me with it. I was a little surprised as I just assumed you’d book an appointment and the GPs would just order the stuff in, ready for the appointment and charge you accordingly.

Having said that I just read the fine print and they don’t do people under 15yrs so not sure it’s much help to you. I vaguely remember having to get some other vaccines for my son and I told the receptionist. When I arrived at the dr’s he had them in the fridge ready to go. Maybe this is an option?

I saw this advertised the other day and have been meaning to do it. Cuts out half the running around.
http://www.priceline.com.au/pharmacy/flu-vaccine/

Hi

Your theory sounds fair to me and in fact I believe that is exactly how it works at the GP I attend. It is at Wanniassa, on a corner right near Woolies.

My young bloke had his bulk billed as he has had a history af asthma. And if I remember correctly we had the option of paying for ours there and then. The only hurdle was that they usually have 2 batches of fluvax stock, one for use with bulk billing and the other for sale. They were all out of the For Sale stuff. Go figure.

I stand corrected if things have changed. Hope this helps.

Cheers