‘Vaccinating all workers should be mandatory’
KUALA LUMPUR: It must be mandatory for factories and businesses planning to re-open to vaccinate all their employees against Covid-19 before they are allowed to return to work.
Malaysian Medical Association former president Datuk Dr N.K.S. Tharmaseelan said this was imperative as Malaysia progressed in its recovery plan.
He said both viral evolution and how people interacted with one another could either see a surge or drop in cases.
“This is where the increased vaccination and stricter standard operating procedures (SOP) play dominant roles.
“Covid-19 vaccines are highly effective, but some people will still be vulnerable to the virus even after receiving their shots.
“It is difficult to keep people pinned to their homes for too long. We need to open up (our economy), but in a planned manner.”
He said while Malaysia boasted about one of the best healthcare systems in the world, it was being hindered by bureaucracy.
Dr Tharmaseelan also said the cause behind overwhelmed healthcare services was due to “bad planning and management”.
“We are overwhelmed because of short-sightedness. It is obvious that the Health Ministry lacks staff, and this is self-induced.
“Doctors, mostly those on contract, who are the frontliners have been laid off since last year, even during the pandemic.
“This explains the overwhelming
and breaking down of services,” he said.
Another expert, Universiti Malaya Tropical Infectious Diseases Research and Education Centre director Professor Dr
Sazaly Abu Bakar, however, said the Movement Control Order should be loosened, and employers should prepare workplaces to receive potentially infected employees.
He said the number of cases was the result of Covid-19 screening, and not vaccination or SOP.
“We should do more testing so we know the exact number,” he added.