Octogenarian forced to take taxi to get flu jab

An 87-year-old St Paul's Bay woman had to take a taxi to the Mosta health centre to take the seasonal influenza vaccine after the local council told her the supply had run out.

Pauline Fenech had booked the seasonal jab with the local council weeks before and, although she was informed they would contact her when the vaccine was available, she never received any call. When other pensioners started saying they had taken the jab, Ms Fenech became worried.

She rang the local council and was informed they had run out of vaccines and the closest place to get it would be the Mosta health centre.

"They said they called me three times but it's impossible that I was always out when they called. Sometimes, I don't go out for days on end," Ms Fenech said.

When contacted, the mayor of St Paul's Bay, Graziella Galea, said had Ms Fenech informed her or the council's executive secretary they would have solved her problem. "We might have got her the jab from the health centre or driven her there," Ms Galea said when contacted yesterday morning.

But Ms Fenech insisted she told a council official that going to Mosta would not be easy for her. Yet, no solution was offered.

"Nobody told me they would arrange for me to get the vaccine," the elderly woman said.

The mayor confirmed that Ms Fenech had initially booked the vaccine. "We had her name on the initial list but when we tried to confirm her booking we did not manage to contact her," she said.

Ms Galea said the council tried to contact Ms Fenech three times but she was not at home. She said the council did not get extra vaccines so they would not go to waste.

"She was the only such case we had and I only got to know about it through an e-mail," the mayor said, referring to a letter Ms Fenech's son sent to the local council, the government and the media.