Manitoba family doctors frustrated with flu shot delay

Manitobans are lining up at free flu shot clinics across the province, but a number of family doctors are frustrated that their vaccine shipments haven't arrived yet.

Manitoba Health is shipping the vaccine to flu clinics, family physicians and pharmacies, but doctors like Dr. Tamara Buchel say they've been waiting for their orders since August.

Buchel, who is the executive director of the Manitoba College of Family Physicians, told CBC News she has "become aware of a lot of frustration from the family doctors in the community that there has been a delay.

"It would be nice if they would be able to figure out how to anticipate what the demand was going to be," she added.

Many patients book their regular checkups with their family doctor for this time of year so they can get the flu shot at the same time, Buchel said.

As well, she said patients are seeing her because they want to avoid having to wait hours in line at community flu shot clinics.

"They had stopped by the community clinic and there was a two- or three-hour wait and they thought, 'Oh, I have an appointment with Dr. Buchel tomorrow, I'll get it then,' and I don't have them," she said.

The flu vaccine is normally delivered in early- to mid-October, and Buchel said the province's priority seems to be delivering doses to hospitals, community clinics and personal care homes.

"It just creates delays it coming to the family doctor, where probably the biggest interface and the biggest opportunity to get Manitobans immunized against the flu exists," she said.

Manufacturer delay to blame

In an email, a provincial government spokesperson said it's working as quickly as possible to distribute flu shot doses. The processing of orders should be done in the next few weeks.

A delay at the manufacturer level means officials have had to prioritize where the vaccine is being shipped, the spokesperson said.

"We have noticed an increased interest and demand for vaccine this year which is a positive sign as we would like to see more of our population receiving their flu shot," the spokesperson added.

Buchel said she expects her office to receive its vaccine shipment by the end of the month, but the delay has created problems for patients in the meantime.

"There's frustration there because patients are either having to go somewhere else to get their flu shot or having to come back for another appointment," she said.

Buchel advises patients to call their family doctor's clinic in advance to confirm if it has the flu shot in stock.

As well, she said there is no need for alarm yet, as flu season normally doesn't hit until after January.