Need for more people-friendly system for Covid vaccine registration

KUCHING: The state government is asked to work out a more people-friendly system for the public to register for the Covid-19 vaccination, especially those residing in rural and interior areas, said political activist Voon Shiak Ni.

She said with the Health Ministry announcing recently that public registration for the Covid-19 vaccination would start on March 1, efforts should be made to facilitate rural folks to sign up.

“Those residing in the rural areas or longhouses would sometimes be located beyond the reach of internet services, with some also living far away from the nearest hospitals and clinics.

“In view of this, the Sarawak government should come up with a system that is more people-friendly for the public to register themselves for the vaccine,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Science, Technology and Innovation Deputy Minister Datuk Ahmad Amzad Mohamed @ Hashim was quoted as saying that registration to participate in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme would be through the MySejahtera app, public health facilities, the www. vaksincovid.gov.my website, and a dedicated hotline which will be announced in the near future.

He also said the government was working to set up a special team to reach out to the rural community to join the vaccination programme.

The government will set the date and location for each recipient to receive the inoculation and they would be informed via telephone, mail or other appropriate means of communication, the deputy minister added.

On a separate matter, Voon said her team will be visiting Bau this weekend to distribute 500 boxes of face masks as part of a concerted effort to support the battle against the pandemic.

The programme is supported by federal Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin, she said.