Pharmacists will be allowed to administer flu vaccines for another year, following a unanimous decision by the Chamber at a plenary session on Thursday.
A permanent arrangement is not yet in place, but Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams (CD&V) legislator Nawal Farih is to submit a new bill to address this.
In addition to doctors, pharmacists have been permitted to give flu vaccines since 2023, despite opposition from medical associations.
This measure aims to lower the bar for vaccinations and stop the declining vaccination trend. The arrangement was set to end this year, but has now been extended to 2025 due to Ms. Farih’s initiative.
Farih originally sought a permanent change but could not secure majority support. She described this as a “missed opportunity.”
In the interest of legal certainty, she agreed to a one-year extension but says she is determined to push forward with a new bill to make the change permanent.
