Government funded flu vaccination is available under National Immunisation Program for following patients who meet criteria as below:

• people aged six months to less than five years (can be given at the same time as childhood vaccines)
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged six months and older
• pregnant women (can be given at any stage of each pregnancy)
• people aged 65 years and older (a vaccine that is specifically designed to produce a higher immune response is available for this group).
• people aged six months and older with medical conditions putting them at increased risk of severe influenza and its complications.
• Medically at-risk
  • Cardiac disease
  • Chronic respiratory condition 
  • Immunocompromising condition
  • Haematological disorder
  • Chronic metabolic disorder
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic neurological condition 
  • Long-term aspirin therapy in children aged 5 to 10 years

From 1 November 2023, the shingles vaccine Shingrix® will replace Zostavax® on the National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule to help prevent shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia. 

A free 2-dose course of Shingrix® will be available for: 

• people aged 65 years or over 
• First Nations people aged 50 years or over, and
• immunocompromised people aged 18 years or over with specific medical conditions such as haemopoetic stem cell transplant, solid organ transplant, haematological malignancy and advanced or untreated HIV

Iron deficiency anaemia is one of the most common haematological conditions in the world, affecting females of childbearing age, children and individuals living in low- and middle- income countries. 

Iron is an essential component for haemoglobin synthesis, and its uptake, storage and utilisation are regulated by a number of physiological mechanisms. Haemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Iron is absorbed in proximal small intestine via dietary containing iron. Food containing high iron such red meats, fruits and vegetables such as beans, lentils, tofu and etc. To increase iron absorption, Vitamin C can be consumed with iron tablets or foods containing high iron. 

Read more …

Iron infusion therapy is now available at our clinic which only takes 15 to 20 minutes. The iron infusion therapy is Ferinject (Ferric carboxymaltose) which was listed on PBS June 2014. If you have low iron studies and anaemia on blood tests and unable to tolerate oral iron tablets, iron infusion therapy is another alternative treatment available. It has very good safety profile with very rare occasion of anaphylaxis or anaphylactoid reaction. Other side effects are headache, nausea, abdominal pain and injection site reaction (includes possible skin staining from leakage of iron infusion). In the past, a doctor had to refer a patient to a hospital for iron infusion and been put on long waiting list. However, this will no longer necessary. Iron infusion procedure will cost $250 (this does not include the cost of Ferinject)

NB: Patient will need to see a doctor first. The doctor will assess the patient and check on latest blood test results. The doctor will then write prescription for Ferinject. The patient will then be booked a time for iron infusion to be done on designated day. As per our medical centre policy, we are only doing iron infusion for a patient who is 15 year old and above.