Swine Flu Spending 'Unjustified'

The money spent on combating swine flu in NI is difficult to justify, according to a leading medical professional.

The NI Chairman of the British Medical Association's GP Committee Dr Brian Dunn (pictured) said that while there were 18 deaths locally related to swine flu - with two other people from Northern Ireland dying abroad from swine-flu related illness - the cost to the Department of Health of £44m was not something he would like to be responsible for: "I would not like to be accounting for that," Dr Dunn told the BBC today.

"At a time when money is scarce and is likely to get scarcer; at a time when waiting lists are going up; at a time when we are talking about cuts in front-line services, I think it is very hard to justify that."

He was speaking some weeks after it emerged that half a million swine flu vaccines remained unused in Northern Ireland.

However, another member of the British Medical Association argued it was better to have too many than too few vaccines.

Dr Tom Black said, "it is better to have vaccine left over than to be left short".

Responding, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride said: "The H1N1 virus is likely to be circulating next winter," noting that the vaccine remains as an important defence.

Underlining earlier comments he made, the expert said: "Vaccination remains the most effective protection against the swine flu virus."

He agreed that "for the vast majority of people, swine flu remains a relatively mild illness from which they make a full recovery", but emphasised that every one of the 20 deaths was a personal tragedy and said that the money spent on prevention had saved an untold number of lives.

"There would be many, many people not around today, had we not acted as we did," he told BBC radio Ulster listeners this morning.

See: Swine Flu Cases Still Falling

(BMcC/GK)