GEORGE TOWN – Penang has mooted a plan to allow manufacturing companies with more than 1,500 employees to set up on-site Covid-19 vaccination centres (PPVs).
The government will bear the costs of the vaccines, while the private sector will cover the costs of the logistics and their personnel’s medical expenses.
This is among a number of suggestions unanimously agreed to by members of the Penang Manufacturing Industry Advisory Council led by the state, said Datuk Seri Lee Kah Coon, special investment adviser to the chief minister.
The council is chaired by Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, with InvestPenang appointed as its secretariat.
In a statement today, Lee said the Penang government will liaise with the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) to introduce a public-private partnership (PPP) model to conduct the immunisation drive for the sector.
Factory employees, he said, are defined as economic frontliners for the inoculation exercise.
Meanwhile, Free Industrial Zone, Penang, Companies' Association (Frepenca) president David Lacey said his association supports the PPP immunisation model.
“Our members can coordinate and facilitate the efforts on the ground, but we hope that relevant ministries can expedite the roll-out of the PPVs,” he said.
SMEs left out?
While the Small and Medium Enterprises Association Malaysia (Samenta) also welcomed vaccination initiative, its honorary secretary-general, Yeoh Seng Hooi, said SMEs may be left out as they don't meet the 1,500-employees criteria.
“As SMEs employ about 50% of the total workforce in the manufacturing sector, these workers need to be vaccinated to make the PPP immunisation programme meaningful,” he said.
Therefore, Yeoh said “Samenta hopes that SMEs will be able to join the mass vaccination programme initiated by the state and larger companies”.
Lee also said that the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers’ (FMM) Penang branch has initiated deep throat saliva (DTS) RT-PCR screening for factory workers.
Approved clinics and clinical laboratories will provide the screening for the workers with the state government's support.
Association of Malaysian Medical Industries (AMMI) chairman Andy Lee said that the state’s support in efforts to vaccinate the state population is encouraging.
“In ensuring an expeditious roll-out, AMMI hopes to see greater collaboration and coordination between all stakeholders to empower healthcare professionals to set-up more PPVs centres,” he said. – The Vibes, May 28, 2021
