The health secretary, Patricia Hewitt, today announced an urgent review of arrangements for flu vaccination after GPs warned they were running out of supplies.

In a Commons statement, Ms Hewitt said the Department of Health was releasing flu vaccine from contingency stocks to help ease the shortage. The department has also been able to secure an additional 200,000 doses for delivery in January despite intense global demand.

Ms Hewitt said an estimated total of over 14 million doses had been manufactured this year - sufficient to immunise all the targeted young and elderly people. Current problems may be due to under-ordering of vaccine by GPs or use of the vaccine on the "worried well".

She urged GPs to prioritise remaining stocks on those "who will really benefit" - those aged over 65 and young people classed as at "clinical risk". Fears of a bird flu pandemic are believed to have pushed up demand for vaccine despite the fact that is it unlikely to offer any protection.

Ms Hewitt said the winter flu vaccination programme was introduced five years ago, with GPs ordering their own supplies based on the number of eligible patients. The Department of Health held contingency stocks for emergency use should GPs run into difficulties. This year more vaccine was produced than ever before, but anecdotal evidence in late October suggested there may be a shortage.

"The current problems may be due to a combination of factors, such as under-ordering of vaccine on the one hand, and possibly vaccination of the 'worried well' on the other.

"Awareness may also be higher this year due in part to the very high level of media interest in the threat of avian flu in birds and of pandemic flu."

Ms Hewitt said the Department of Health was releasing vaccine from its contingency stocks and had secured an additional 200,000 doses. Officials were discussing with manufacturers if additional supplies could be made available.

Angry exchanges followed Ms Hewitt's statement, during which she was accused of blaming doctors for the "crisis" instead of taking responsibility herself, and the department was charged with "gross complacency".

The shadow health secretary, Andrew Lansley said: "The simple fact is that people have been going to their GPs to get their flu jabs and being told that supplies have run out." When a Labour MP shouted out, "Not everybody," Mr Lansley retorted: "Happily, not everybody, but one person is one person too many.

"And you should know that even in places where this has not happened yet, it will happen because supplies are running out."

And pointing an accusing finger at Ms Hewitt, he said: "You don't accept responsibility for this. You should have done. The delivery of the immunisation programme is the government's responsibility. It is not good enough that you come to the house and blame the GPs."

He continued angrily: "Not only have you failed to apologise for this, you have not even remotely begun to explain what has gone wrong."

Mr Lansley challenged her: "We have a crisis. What are you going to do about it?"