KUALA LUMPUR – Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the people should not have to go through Covid-19 vaccine registrations, but instead be given the shots first.
He said the existing process of dispensing the vaccine to Malaysians should be improved by dispensing them more efficiently and, thus, controlling the spread of the pandemic.
“The present method that requires the people to register using a mobile phone has caused many to wait up to three months to get vaccinated.
“The vaccination centres may also be far from the people. Why not let the government go to the people?
“Registration is not necessary; anybody can be vaccinated by bringing their identity card for the purpose of recording their data in the system.
“What is the use of MySejahtera? These are all bureaucracies,” he said in a programme aired live on the Sinar Harian Facebook page today.
Dr Mahathir said the United States is able to vaccinate three million people a day via the drive-through system, adding that this method can be handled by a team made up of a doctor, two nurses and an assistant by going to the villages.
Malaysia took its time to test each type of vaccine when the shot is already in use in various countries, he added.
“The Sputnik V vaccine has not been approved in Malaysia, but is already used in Germany. Malaysia is just starting to conduct tests.
“We cannot just wait for Pfizer or AstraZeneca. China’s vaccine is also good. The country has vaccinated more than 300 million people.”
On the emergency, Dr Mahathir said he is of the view that Parliament can reconvene even though the emergency is in force until August 1.
He stressed that when the National Operations Council was set up in 1969, Parliament met to give space to all parties, including the opposition, to give their views on issues faced by the country. – Bernama, June 15, 2021
