THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) welcomes the government’s plan to complete the vaccination of 27 million people, or 80% of the population, by March 2022, or the quickest by this December, as stated by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin in an interview with CodeBlue published on Wednesday.
It said it will kick-start the national Covid-19 vaccination programme by immunising 75,000 people a day across 600 vaccination sites nationwide from March. The 600 identified vaccination sites comprise Health Ministry hospitals and clinics, university hospitals, Malaysian Armed Forces hospitals and clinics, private general practitioner (GP) clinics, and private healthcare facilities.
The Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry’s approach to the national vaccination programme for the pandemic is strategic and comprehensive. We wish to thank the ministry for providing a clear direction on the government’s plans to inoculate the population.
While certain logistics will still need to be ironed out, this is indeed a good target that has been set. We are also pleased that the government is recognising the important role of private GPs in carrying out the national vaccination programme. MMA looks forward to engaging with the ministry on these plans.
Private GPs have a long experience in giving vaccinations, dating back to pre-independence. The 7,000 ministry-trained private GPs and their clinics are well distributed and close to the community in both urban and rural areas, but regrettably, have been underutilised in managing the pandemic. We urge the government to maximise access to a wider distribution of the vaccines to the population through increased private GP participation. This will speed up the vaccination programme.
In its plans, the government should also prioritise densely populated locations, as they carry a higher risk of Covid-19 transmission. Many private GP clinics are located in these areas, therefore, access will be quicker and more convenient for the population.
Also, many of the patients managed by private GPs have comorbidities, which already qualify them to receive vaccines as per current plans in the national vaccination programme to prioritise the vaccination of vulnerable groups.
Increasing private GP clinic participation in the national vaccination programme will also help the government reduce overall traffic at government vaccination sites. This will cut down dependency on government manpower and resources in carrying out the programme, as the GPs will be utilising their own staff.
The GPs also have experience in coordinating mass programmes, as many are currently involved in the Covid-19 screening of foreign workers, and also the community where their clinics are located. These programmes are coordinated individually by the participating clinics.
Of paramount importance, the government must ensure that the administering of the vaccines is carried out by qualified, trained medical personnel with no involvement of non-healthcare middlemen or agents. Healthcare facilities administering the jabs must ensure proper patient care, which includes the management of possible reactions to the jabs, and not forgetting infectious disease prevention and control under strict guidelines from the ministry. The highest standards of care must be maintained, with these facilities accepting full medico-legal accountability.
Going forward, we urge the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and Health Ministry to work closely on the national vaccination programme, as there are many regulations, protocols and guidelines from the Health Ministry on patient safety and adverse events following immunisation. Only qualified and trained medical personnel can give vaccinations.
Lastly, the government must ensure transparency. Never before has the country carried out a national vaccination programme of this scale, and never before have vaccines been developed in record time. Therefore, we have the hurdle of winning over public confidence in getting vaccinated. This will require increased efforts in providing all the necessary information on efficacy and safety. The rakyat must consistently be kept well-informed. – The Vibes, January 29, 2021
Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy is president of the Malaysian Medical Association
