Task force to manage National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme

PUTRAJAYA: The government yesterday announced the setting up of a special task force, known as Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) to manage the implementation of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin said he himself, as the coordinating minister for the programme, would lead the CITF which will report to the Cabinet.

He said the CITF management team would be supervised by two co-directors, namely Health deputy director-general (Public Health) Datuk Dr Chong Chee Keong and Army deputy chief Lt General Datuk Mohammad Ab Rahman.

“The CITF emphasises on integrated actions by the various ministries and government agencies to ensure that PICK will be neatly, smoothly and properly implemented to achieve its objectives.

“The National Security Council (MKN), the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and the Ministry of Health (MOH) will act as CITF secretariat,” he said in a virtual press conference here yesterday.

Elaborating, Khairy said CITF had held its first meeting on Tuesday to coordinate in detail the scope of work, work structure and the overall planning of the PICK.

He said, during the meeting, the MKN had also tabled its proposal to have a CITF Command Centre at the national, state and district levels, as well as a coordination mechanism to link the various levels.

The minister said through the CITF, health services involving the management of vaccine logistics, registration for vaccine, identification of vaccine recipient category, postvaccination monitoring, vaccine administration, as well as the management of vaccination centres at MOH facilities and its human resources will be coordinated with non-health services.

“Non-health services will be responsible for the management of logistics (utilities, parking spaces, ICT and non-ICT equipment); documentation, records and registration; geoinformation-big data management; strategic communications; administration of vaccination centre in public facilities; transportation for vaccine recipients; human resources; and volunteers bodies.

“For administration purposes, the CITF operation room will be at Level 3, Block F1, Parcel F, Precinct 1, Putrajaya,” he said.

The minister added that the Royal Malaysia Police, Armed Forces, Fire and Rescue Department, as well as the Civil Defence Force, will also be involved in the implementation of the PICK. – Bernama