NEARLY 9.2 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines worth about RM185 million had expired and were thrown away, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said.
He told the Dewan Rakyat today that the expired vaccines represented 10.8% of the total 84.5 million doses received by the government since the national immunisation programme began on February 24, 2021.
“A total of 9,159,151 doses of various Covid-19 vaccines that were stored at Health Ministry facilities and storehouses were found to have expired as of June 11, 2024.
“The losses include vaccines that expired due to logistical issues such as stock keeping, storage and others," he said.
Dzulkefly said the ministry did not blame any party for the loss as there were no procurement guidelines for the vaccines.
He also explained that the heavy loss of vaccines was due to it being the first time Malaysia’s healthcare system was tested by a widespread pandemic.
“The ministers before me did not have SOPs, best practices or benchmarking because it was the first time we had faced a pandemic.
“But now we know what standard operating procedures to apply and the best practices for any future pandemic if it happens,” he added. — The Vibes, July 11, 2024
