A row has broken out in the Royal Victoria Hospital over the swine flu vaccination.
Non-medical staff claim they are being discriminated against and have been left “unprotected” after they were refused the swine flu vaccination.
A domestic, who did not want to be named, said she was turned away when she went to get the jab in the week following October 21 when the hospital vaccination programme was rolled out.
“The swine flu vaccinations started a few weeks ago for frontline staff,” she told the Andersonstown News. “On the Tuesday some of us went for the injection, but we were told we could get the flu jab but not the one for swine flu.
“I said I was frontline staff and they said no, it only applied to doctors and nurses. Domestics, porters and catering staff were refused the swine flu vaccination.”
The domestic said auxiliary staff are up in arms over what they claim is “class prejudice” and are drawing up a petition that has been circulating in  both the RVH and the neighbouring Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.

Patients

“We are very angry, we feel that we are in the wards and around the patients just as much as anyone else,” she said. “We are cleaning, sometimes we can be in a room or in a ward cleaning for 45 minutes at a time, and the porters are constantly transferring the patients for X-rays.

“We are hoping to get as many signatures as possible on the petition. We already have plenty and that includes signatures from doctors and nurses.  When we have enough, we will be presenting the petition to the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey.”
A spokesperson from the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety explained the priority process.
“Frontline health and social care workers, as they are at increased risk of infection and of transmitting that infection to susceptible patients, are being  prioritised to receive the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical risk groups.
“The clinical priority groups for vaccination were selected because they are at highest risk of severe illness. It is therefore important that vaccine is distributed and administered to these priority groups as quickly as possible.
“The Department appreciates the challenges that this presents and would therefore like to emphasise that vaccination of priority groups should be completed over the next four to five weeks. 
“The Department is considering how the vaccination programme can be rolled out more widely and in particular to other groups, including non-clinical ancillary staff.”