The disappearance of 227,000 flu vaccines raises controversy
"Österreichische Gesundheitskasse" (Austrian Health Insurance Fund - ÖGK) and the Ministry of Health are facing increasing pressure after approximately 227,000 doses of flu vaccines for the 2024/2025 season went missing, amid a lack of any clear explanation or effective electronic tracking system. Interestingly, this is not the first incident of its kind, as more than 300,000 vaccines went missing in the 2023/2024 season without any knowledge of their fate.
Despite technological advancements that allow for precise tracking of shipments and packages around the world, Austrian authorities have not yet succeeded in establishing a data system that enables accurate tracking of vaccines within the country.
The Ministry of Health clarified in its first comment that the evaluation process is still ongoing, noting that measures have been taken in the current season to reduce waste, but it attributed the shortage to the possibility that some doses were not recorded in the 'e-Impfpass' (the electronic vaccination record) due to citizens forgetting their health cards or technical issues.
ÖGK justified the disappearance of vaccines by stating that it is not possible to track each dose individually, especially since more than 5,000 medical centers are participating in the vaccination campaign. It explained that if only ten doses are lost or damaged in each center, the total number could quickly reach tens of thousands.
But all that the relevant institutions provide are mere estimates, in the absence of an electronic system that determines the location of each batch of vaccines immediately. It is concerning that the authorities still do not know where 227,000 doses are, which poses a real obstacle to establishing an effective strategy for the upcoming vaccination seasons.
Although the current Ministry of Health is affiliated with the SP party, the vaccination campaigns were implemented during the tenure of the former minister from the Green Party, so the full responsibility does not lie with the current government. Only about 30,000 doses have been recorded in the database of wasted doses.