GEORGE TOWN – The “bogus” offer to procure the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine for Penang has revealed the lack of due diligence on the part of the state, risking the erosion of public trust, said Seberang Jaya assemblyman Afif Bahardin.
He slammed the state government for politicising the matter and blaming Putrajaya.
“The people are unhappy that such an important task as immunisation has become trivial, and they are disheartened that those in authority here are acting irresponsibly.
Penang chose the easy route of wanting to buy vaccines because the state presumed things are not going well in terms of the immunisation rate, wanting to exploit the situation.”
What the state can do is assist healthcare authorities by ensuring standard operating procedures are complied with in the workplace and community, while helping the federal government strictly enforce the movement control order, he said.
Another notable negative trend in Penang is its average of 30% no-shows in the vaccination drive.
The state should direct elected representatives and community leaders to convince residents to get the jab, said Afif.
The rep, who has quit PKR in favour of Bersatu, acknowledged that while more can be done to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, the public may be left confused if states and the private sector want to conduct vaccinations.
He said from his understanding, Sarawak and other states are allowed to secure the Sinovac vaccine only after the federal government has finalised its procurement.
Meanwhile, Klang MP Charles Santiago in a statement yesterday said the crux of the matter is ensuring the success of the national immunisation campaign.
He suggested mobilising the 2,500 clinics across the country that have registered to facilitate the vaccination process.
“In fact, 5,000 general practitioners and their staff have been trained in the last two months, and are awaiting the go-ahead from the Health Ministry. For now, only 37 clinics are authorised to be part of the vaccine roll-out.
“Engaging all the participating clinics in the fight against Covid-19, the government will be able to decentralise the vaccination process and reach out to as many more people as possible.”
He said a second consideration is for the government to encourage private foundations, philanthropists, private and professional groups, and non-governmental organisations to partner national efforts to combat the coronavirus.
“A third strategy as part of a fast-track approach should be to allow state governments to procure vaccines and undertake vaccination instead of blocking these initiatives using PICK (National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme) as an excuse.
“In fact, this demonstrates abuse of power, as in the case of Penang, and is no different from big pharma opposing the vaccine waiver aimed at saving lives. The continuing spike in (infection) numbers is creating doubt about the government’s ability to manage the spread of the virus successfully despite the state of emergency in place.
“The government has declared an emergency to fight Covid-19, but clearly, the approach to solving the problem is anything but urgent. And, it gives rise to the suspicion that maybe, some Napoleons are profiting from people’s misery.” – The Vibes, May 20, 2021
