The urgency of restoring public trust: Pfizer’s Medical Director addresses the essentials in prevention and health reforms

The erosion of public trust in government and medical science emerged as a stark challenge revealed by the year-long COVID-19 Inquiry.

Dr Krishan Thiru, Medical Director of Pfizer ANZ unpacked the far-reaching consequences of this mistrust, pointing to its impact on vaccination rates, healthcare costs, and the broader economy.

“Disturbingly less than two-thirds of people indicated they’d get a vaccine if offered by the government in a future public health emergency or pandemic,” he remarked. “That mistrust in science has a huge impact on patients…hospitals and the broader economy. It’s really imperative that we work together to address that.”

Central to the inquiry’s findings was the absence of a “trusted voice” during the pandemic – a gap that Dr Thiru believes must be filled before the next public health emergency. As both a clinician and a senior leader in medical affairs, he emphasised the importance of multistakeholder engagement and an independent body to lead these conversations, cautioning against the dangers of fragmented messaging.

Dr Thiru also shed light on the pharmaceutical sector’s critical role in rebuilding and maintaining public trust. By sharing a practical example, he highlighted how companies like Pfizer are uniquely positioned to be key collaborators in this dialogue.

The interview also turned to prevention, with Dr Thiru highlighting a missed opportunity in the Australian government’s unfulfilled promise to invest 5% of health expenditure in preventive care. He called for urgent action, noting how the nation lags behind other OECD countries in this regard.

“We saw during the pandemic that where there’s a will, we can get breakthrough medicines and vaccines to patients much faster,” he emphasised.

Vaccines, he argued, should form an essential component of a national prevention strategy. He pointed to the health technology assessment (HTA) Review reforms and an upcoming election as critical opportunities for the government to strengthen its commitment.

“For a very wealthy nation, it’s not ideal that patients have to wait that long for access to life changing or life saving medicines and vaccines,” he concluded.

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