No need for special court on vaccination deaths: medical experts

KUALA LUMPUR – It is not necessary to establish a special court to determine the cause of death of individuals who have received Covid-19 vaccines, experts said, as there is already an existing process to investigate such cases.

Yesterday, the Health Ministry said it was investigating six cases of suspected adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccine, including the death of a seven-year-old girl.

The ministry’s Pharmacovigilance Special Committee is sufficient to monitor and investigate reported cases and safety issues related to the vaccine, though it should also include external experts to ensure its findings are more comprehensive and neutral, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia community health physician Prof Dr Sharifa Ezat Wan Puteh said.

“It is best if the committee is neutral and consists of trained individuals who are not from the Health Ministry. Maybe it should be placed under the (health) minister or the prime Minister,” she said.

Earlier, paediatric consultant Datuk Dr Musa Mohd Nordin had suggested setting up a vaccination court just like in the United States, where the court had successfully determined that 80% of deaths among the vaccinated were due to aging factors.

Public health physician Datuk Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar said it would make more sense to establish an independent committee of inquiry instead of a vaccination court, which could end up being bogged down by technical issues.

“In order to avoid the public doubting a one-sided decision, the minister, prime minister or Agong should elect the committee as people have lost trust towards the government,” he said, adding that the names and expertise of the members should be made public.

Sharifa said the Health Ministry should also audit its Adverse Effects Following Immunisation (Aefi) reports to ensure they are transparent and thorough.

“I am actually interested to see the effects of Aefi and the number of reports that have been made but the data is difficult to obtain,” she said.

“Therefore, I think Aefi reports should be audited and checked by other parties as well or at least, officers from the Health Ministry.” – The Vibes, March 17, 2022