MALAYSIA is among the many countries that have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, despite concerns about rare cases of recipients developing blood clots. A significant number of the population is happy to receive this jab, rather than having to wait in what could potentially be a very long queue.
Rather than waste the stocks of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Malaysia is making it available on a first-come, first-served basis to anybody who is willing to take the risk and sign a consent form to that effect.
As soon as the website opened on May 2, 2021 at midday, we tried to register. There were some initial teething problems – but these were resolved within half an hour, and we managed to get an appointment for May 15 at 11am.
This was subsequently changed to 10am and 10.30am, which was a relief as there were rumours that it would be delayed due to the Raya weekend. Not only did we get to keep our appointments on the promised day, but they were moved slightly earlier.
We arrived in good time – and despite some confusion at the entrance hall over the initial queuing protocol, once that was sorted, it was a very smooth journey through the system. At every stage, there were people to help – not only to explain the vaccine, its side effects, and what to do should you experience them or become worried, but also many on hand to make sure you follow the process, that you know where to go, and that you know what to do next.
The process
1. Arrive at WTC KL (at least for us, there are other places that are also delivering the vaccinations) at least half an hour before your appointed time;
2. Join the relevant queue for Station 1, 2, or 3. Your “station” is provided to you on the MySejahtera app;
3. Once you enter the main area, you are given a consent form, along with three pieces of paper that have identical numbers on them. As you progress through the process, you are called by these numbers and handed one of the slips at certain times. You also scan QR codes from within the MySejahtera app as you progress through the system, which eventually tells you that you have now received the first dose;
4. You complete two copies of the consent form, but it is very simple, just a series of checkboxes: your name, IC, and your signature. You must sign the form in front of the doctor – so complete the form, but don’t sign it until you meet him/her. One copy of the form is retained by the doctor, you take the other one away;
5. You are then briefed, in groups of five, about what is going to happen, what to do if you experience side effects, and how long you will need to wait before the second vaccination (12 weeks);
6. Next, you see a doctor who runs through the form with you, at which point you are able to ask questions. You both sign the form, and you then move on to get vaccinated;
7. The vaccination takes about a minute. It does not hurt, and you are out before you know it;
8. You enter an observation area, where you must sit for 15 minutes. After this, you are called by one of the staff who checks that you have had no immediate side effects. Assuming that is the case – and we saw nobody exhibiting any side effects – you are free to go.
One of our appointments was at 10am, and the other was at 10.30am. The entire process for the two of us was completed by 11.15am.
Our reflection
1. It is incredibly well organised. We have lived in Malaysia for 10 years, and this is the most efficient process we have ever come across. Talent Corp was also very good – but the vast majority of the government processes we have interacted with are generally time-consuming and very bureaucratic;
2. All the staff were incredibly well-prepared and incredibly helpful. At no point were we left wondering about what to do next, or where to go. We were helped at every stage of the process;
3. We were personally pleased to see that BP Healthcare and Doctor2U were part of the delivery team. We draw out only these two companies as we have had previous experience with them and know the people behind them. It was good to see them helping with this initiative;
4. When we left the observation room, the last person we saw introduced herself as a first-year student from University of Nottingham Malaysia, who is studying biomedical sciences. One of us used to work at Nottingham and is an alumni – so it is good to see students from his alma mater also helping with this initiative;
5. It was good to bump into Datuk Siti Hamisah Tapsir, who is Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (Mosti) secretary-general. We knew Siti Hamisah from her time at the Higher Education Ministry, where she was also secretary-general. She was there supporting Mosti Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, whom we never met, but who was there showing support for the initiative.
To conclude, the entire experience was faultless. Whoever was responsible for planning, arranging and managing this procedure should be applauded, and the government could do worse than make that person the head of the civil service with a remit to make the entire system as efficient as the AstraZeneca vaccination initiative.
However, a leader is only as strong as his team and the largest round of applause goes to all the staff that have worked, and continue to work, tirelessly to deliver about 10,000 AstraZeneca vaccinations every day. They were all friendly, professional and well-prepared. We thank you.
Finally, speaking as expats, we are grateful to have been given the opportunity to get the AstraZeneca vaccination. If it were not for this initiative, we believe that we may have had to wait until February 2022, as we would almost certainly have been at the end of the vaccination queue. – The Vibes, May 15, 2021
Wendy Kendall is wife of Good Capitalism Forum chief executive Prof Graham Kendall. The Good Capitalism Forum is an annual conference focusing on ideas of social capitalism, specifically with the intention of creating tangible, practical and politically applicable solutions to problems facing the world today. It is an initiative by the Sekhar Institute and PETRA Group
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