Medical experts are calling for greater military presence in Australia’s delay-ridden coronavirus vaccine rollout.
Leading epidemiologist Professor Mary-Louise McLaws called for the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to assist with the rollout, saying its resources and expertise could help speed it up.
“We have a race on our hands that we don't seem to be winning, and we need experts like the ADF to assist with the enormous strategic challenges,” she told SBS News.
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the promotion of Lieutenant General John Frewen to head the newly-named Operation Shield.
Mr Morrison said the appointment would enable the government to “step up another gear”.
But there are questions as to whether it should be doing even more on the ground.
AMA President Dr Omar Khorshid welcomed the move to call in ADF members to assist with the rollout.
COVID-19 Taskforce Commander Lieutenant General John Frewen. Source: AAP
“I think the appointment of these senior military leaders to critical positions in the vaccine rollout is a sign of the government's need to make sure we are doing everything we can to make the rollout smooth,” he said.
Lieutenant General Frewen is already undertaking a major review of the rollout.
“I will be looking for any opportunity to optimise the current plans to accelerate the rollout as we can as more supply comes online,” he said.
But , is likely to put greater pressure on the program, particularly towards the end of the year before the arrival of more supplies of the alternate Pfizer and Moderna jabs.
Professor McLaws says the ADF should be working with general practitioners to speed up vaccine distribution.
“The ADF can support the GP rollout, the GPs can help the elderly who can't make long distances to get to the hubs, and the ADF can roll out - and should be rolling out - multiple priority groups,” she said.
Experts say the military’s resources and logistical expertise make it a highly effective body for the vaccine rollout.
“It's got transport, it's got health, it's got medical, it's got engineers, it's got planners, it's got command and control... It's really well suited for a crisis,” ANU Professor John Blaxland told SBS News.
But Professor Blaxland worries too much defence input could pose a problem.
“The defence force is actually quite busy training for the prospect of a crisis … by doing this other work relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, we're actually detracting from the ability to do that,” he said.
He said the government should outsource more work to private firms.
Despite previous issues with outside contractors, Professor Blaxland said this could be an efficient way of tackling the rollout, whilst preserving the military’s capacity.
“There's quite a lot of companies that can do this kind of work, logistics support, transport companies… just because we've had some commercial deals fall through or not work out well, doesn't mean that there aren't other opportunities out there.”
The government maintains the ADF are best placed to lead the rollout, with Health Minister Greg Hunt saying it is an “enormous national asset”.
“Whether it's floods, bushfires or natural disasters, they're here to protect us in terms of any threat abroad, but they're also here to support Australians in times of need,” he said.
Lieutenant General Frewen agreed, saying: “All of these domestic challenges involve planning and coordination and working with people and problem solving - all of those are really central to the key skill sets of the ADF.”
