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PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has welcomed the government’s decision to join the Covax Vaccine Scheme.
MMA President Dr. N Ganabaskaran said that this move can be seen as an insurance policy to guarantee access to vaccine supply.
He said this adds to the government’s efforts to secure vaccine supplies through bilateral negotiations with potential vaccine manufacturers.
He said that MMA expects the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) to work closely with the Ministry of Health on vaccination plans for Covid-19.
“In addition to consulting experts and professional groups, the government must also engage stakeholders and collect public comment.
“MMA thanks Mosti for shedding light on the direction the government should take to secure Covid-19 vaccines for the country,” he said.
Ganabaskaran said that the government should provide regular updates to the public as it will be highly appreciated by all Malaysians as the issue of vaccines for Covid-19 is in the national interest.
He noted that the medical fraternity and the public had raised concerns about Malaysia’s readiness to obtain the Covid-19 vaccine supply as the deadline to join the Covax Vaccine Plan was coming to an end.
“The public will be more encouraged with Mosti and the Ministry of Health working closely on the vaccination plan. The government must ensure total transparency in carrying out this and citizens must be informed about the progress, ”he said.
Ganabaskaran said MMA supports Mosti’s suggestion that the vaccine be available at no cost to the public and looks forward to the ways this may be possible.
He said Mosti and the Health Ministry will need to address the big question of who or what groups will be prioritized for vaccination.
“The universal approach would be to prioritize vulnerable groups. It will be necessary to determine who will fall into the category of “vulnerable” or high risk and will be listed in the proper order.
“This should be well planned before the vaccine is distributed,” he said.
Ganabaskaran said that under the Covax Vaccine Plan, “subject to the availability of funds, the funded countries will receive sufficient doses to vaccinate up to 20% of their population in the long term.”
He said that since demand is initially likely to exceed supply once vaccines become available, the allocation will be spread across countries based on the number of doses available and will increase as availability increases.
He said that we will have to determine which vulnerable or high-risk groups will be given priority for vaccination among this 20% mentioned.
“This can be challenging and important decisions will need to be made in the near future.
“Finally, in addition to consulting with experts and professional groups, we believe that obtaining public comment will also be an important step through stakeholder engagement,” he said.
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