Paramedics speak out against mandatory jab for health staff

The requirement that Healthcare workers in NSW be vaccinated against Covid-19 will likely put further pressure on a workforce already straining to cope with the virus response, according to John Larter, while another long-time paramedic in the region, who did not wish to be named, has also spoken out against the decision to mandate the vaccine.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said that under the Public Health Order, health staff must have a first dose of vaccine by September 30 and be fully vaccinated by November 30, or at least have their second appointment booked to continue working.

“Many health workers in NSW are already vaccinated but if all of our staff are vaccinated it will provide greater protection for patients, visitors and other health staff,” Mr Hazzard said.

“It will also ease pressure on our health system during this challenging time. More than 1,200 healthcare workers have been in isolation each day over the past seven days and we cannot afford that right now. Vaccinations will help ensure our fantastic staff can continue to care for patients.

“The public and private health systems have a responsibility to implement every possible measure to provide a safe work environment for their staff and most importantly, safe circumstances for their patients.”

Staff will be required to provide evidence they have received their first dose to their employer by September 30 or they will be excluded from the workplace.

However, Mr Larter said not all health workers will be prepared to get the jab, potentially leading to few workers in the system.

Mr Larter said he is not anti-vaccination and has not yet decided if he will get the vaccine or not. He knows of several other health professionals in the region who have not yet received the vaccine, and are reluctant to do so.

He said the vaccine should be a choice for health workers – not mandatory.

“Informed consent is a bedrock of our health system,” Mr Larter said. “I’m not anti-vax, but I haven’t yet reached a conclusion on whether I want to have the vaccine or not. While I may reach that conclusion, until I do, myself and no one else should be made to have the jab.

“It has to be a personal choice.”

Mr Larter estimates that a meaningful number of his colleagues hold similar views and may well refuse to have the vaccine. If that bears out, it would cause a shortage in a workforce struggling to handle its normal workload, let alone any uptick in cases associated with Covid, he said.

Another local paramedic with more than four decades of service is also opposed the health minister’s order to mandate the vaccine.

“I’ve been in the job 44 years and have always felt that helping the sick and injured in my community to the best of my ability is my calling,” the paramedic, who did not want to be named, said. “I want to be able to make an informed decision on what type of vaccine I have, and when I have it.


“I’ve heard from countless credible people that there’s been people who’ve had allergic and other adverse effects from the vaccine.

“it concerns me that a vaccine can be forced on people when there’s been no long term studies around it – and I fully understand why that’s been the case.

“I’m not anti-vax and I’m not saying I won’t get it. All I’m saying is I think we should be given the choice.”

Mr Larter said health professionals are effectively being gagged from expressing any criticism of the vaccines, which he said goes against the health system’s tradition of encouraging critical thinking as a means of contributing to safety in the workplace. He pointed to the regulator, the The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) , having sent out a communique to health professionals warning against any critical comment of the vaccine rollout. He noted the APRA board was appointed by the health minister and questioned if the regulator was truly at arm’s length from the government, as it should be.

“We can’t have a situation where they’re gagging health professionals or stifling debate,” Mr Larter said. “Constructive criticism and questioning existing practices have been a cornerstone of the system and a key driver of safety improvements.”

He is adamant that with PPE use and the necessary precautions, health staff can avoid contracting the virus, or spreading it.

“There has not been significant transmission among health staff,” Mr Larter said. “Providing the appropriate measures are taken, there’s nothing to suggest health workers are at significant risk.”

“The other question then becomes, why are GPs exempt?”

Mr Hazzard said frontline health staff and their families have had priority access to Covid-19 vaccines since the commencement of the Federal Government’s vaccination rollout in February.

National Cabinet agreed in June to mandate Covid-19 vaccination for aged care workers. NSW will now ensure the same protections exist for all health workers.

Already in NSW, mandatory vaccinations for frontline health staff are required for contagious diseases including influenza, chicken pox, measles and whooping cough.