KUALA LUMPUR – Sabah, which recorded the highest number of positive Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, should be given priority to receive the supply of vaccines once they is available in the country, said the MP for Kota Kinabalu today.
Chan Foong Hin (PH-Kota Kinabalu) said this in his debate on the Supply Bill 2021 at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.
“Since Sabah is the epicentre for the third wave of the pandemic, I would like to propose for the people of Sabah to be given priority to receive the vaccine, which is expected to be made available next year,” he said.
Chan said Sabah had recorded over 20,000 positive cases as of November 9, the highest among other states in Malaysia, and should be given priority to handle the crisis in the state.
He said Sabah had in fact been facing numerous public health woes long before the spread of the virus.
Chan said there were 24 public hospitals and 300 health clinics in Sabah, all still insufficient to facilitate the needs of the people in the state.
He said that the official doctor-people ratio in Sabah stood at 1:856 (one doctor for 856 people) compared with the national ratio of 1:454, posing a great challenge to hospitals and frontliners as daily Covid-19 numbers continue to spike.
He said many healthcare workers and frontliners in Sabah were also infected with the virus, and some had to work overtime continuously, especially in hospitals around Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Semporna, and Tawau. – Bernama, November 12, 2020
