GEORGE TOWN – After a decline in Covid-19 booster shots in Penang, Heath Exco Dr Norlela Ariffin is urging those who do not want to be boosted to make use of the Health Ministry’s Skim Peduli Kesihatan for the B40 group (PeKa B40).
“So far, the Malays in Penang have recorded the lowest percentage of booster dose administration at only 58.5%.
“As for Penang locals, 75.8% have received their booster and 155.6% of foreigners have received theirs.
“We know some are afraid to take the booster jab, but if they are, they should at least be fully aware of their health condition,” she said during an online engagement session with ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd today.
Norlela said 83% of those eligible in Penang’s B40 community have not taken advantage of their free medical check-up available at 169 private healthcare providers, 27 government clinics, six government hospitals, and 13 pathology laboratories.
Now that the nation has entered the endemic stage, she said, individuals must know their state of health because most people who die from Covid-19 have comorbidities they did not know they had.
During the session, ProtectHealth CEO Datuk Dr Anas Alam Faizli said many from the B40 groups prefer not to know their health conditions until it is too late.
“In 2019, we detected 45,000 diabetics from this programme, and approximately 25% will experience renal failure.
“Now, if they detect it early and start treatment early, we are looking at seven years of extended quality of life.
“There are people I see in night markets walking around without masks, thinking they are healthy enough to overcome Covid-19, but many of these non-communicable diseases are not easily detected unless they do their health examinations,” he said.
Those eligible for Bantuan Prihatin Rakyat 2021 and aged above 40 are eligible for PeKa B40 and will only need to present their identification cards to get health screenings.
Anas said that the programme is on a first-come-first-serve basis across the nation, and that he hopes those in Penang will seize the opportunity to get their screenings done.
To date, only 37,594 out of 365,488 eligible recipients have received health analyses. – The Vibes, April 15, 2022
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