KUALA LUMPUR – The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) is considering the need to designate several vaccination centres to cater to migrant workers according to language, so that the vaccination process can be conducted smoothly.
CITF said in a statement that the move was to enable the required resources, such as translators or volunteers, to be stationed there, thus overcoming the problem of overcrowding in centres caused by the presence in large numbers of migrant workers, resulting in the violation of standard operating procedures (SOPs).
“The failure of migrant workers to fill out forms and download the MySejahtera app caused the process to take a longer time.
“Every migrant worker needs more than five minutes to fill in the form, which causes congestion at the registration counter. There are interpreters who help, but the process is still time-consuming,” said the statement, commenting on the congestion that occurred in most centres in the Klang Valley on Wednesday.
It also said that Wednesday's congestion also occurred when a large number of vaccine recipients did not follow the appointment times given, for example coming in the morning despite their appointment times being in the afternoon.
To prevent the same problem from recurring, the CITF is also working with police to block any vehicles such as buses from outside the Klang Valley, carrying either migrant workers or Malaysians en masse, to get vaccinated in the Klang Valley.
At the same time, the CITF has also amended the appointment dates for some vaccine recipients to reduce the number of attendees, so that congestion stemming from communication problems involving migrant workers can be avoided.
“As a result of this move, overcrowding at the centres involved, especially in the evening, has been reduced today, and the matter will continue to be monitored to enable appropriate action to be taken from time to time,” read the statement. – Bernama, July 30, 2021
