The Department of Health has published a plan to ensure the COVID-19 vaccination program includes members of Australia’s culturally, ethnically, and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
The Department’s comprehensive vaccine implementation plan has been developed in partnership with multicultural specialist Agencies to ensure it reaches people from those backgrounds.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt said that for the immunisation program to be successful, high uptake of the vaccine was required.
“Therefore it is critical that the vaccine program is designed and delivered in a manner which is accessible, inclusive and culturally safe,” Mr Hunt said.
“This includes ensuring that communications are developed and targeted for CALD communities and that information and services are delivered in appropriate languages and formats and within appropriate facilities and locations,” he said.
Mr Hunt said the vaccine implementation plan ensured the medical workforce administering vaccinations would be trained to work with people from CALD communities so that services were delivered in a culturally appropriate and safe way, with the assistance of interpreters when required.
The Minister said the plan was supported by the COVID-19 vaccination public information campaign being rolled out across the country.
The Department of Health’s nine-page COVID-19 Vaccination Program Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities Implementation Plan can be accessed at this PS News link.