Include private health sector in vaccine roll out to expedite process, state govt told

KUCHING: Engaging a panel of private-practice doctors will enable the state’s Covid-19 vaccination programme to be expedited and reach more people in the shortest time possible, said Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party (Aspirasi) president Lina Soo.

In urging the state government to do so, she said the private health sector can be mobilised speedily and efficiently to complement the government’s efforts thus far.

“To vaccinate 999,834 (persons) in Phase 3 of Sarawak’s vaccination programme from May to August in 120 days will require 8,332 shots per day, which doubles to 16,664 shots per day if the vaccine is double dose.

“I believe it is unrealistic that government facilities can reach this target given the size and breath of the state’s geography, unless the private sector is engaged in this process,” she said in a statement yesterday.

Given this, Soo feels there are many benefits to approving the private sector to be part of the mass vaccination programme.

On Wednesday, Coordinating Minister for the National Covid19 Immunisation Programme Khairy Jamaluddin said the federal government will include more private hospitals as vaccination centres for Phases 2 and 3.

He said under the current Phase 1 for frontliners, private hospitals such as Pantai Hospital are already being used as vaccination centres for private healthcare workers.

Khairy, who is Science, Technology and Innovation Minister, said this in a tweet when replying to former health minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad’s tweet in which the latter suggested that the government engage the private sector in a ‘PublicPrivate Partnership’ for the Covid-19 vaccine roll out, if the capacity at public hospitals was insufficient.

Meanwhile, Soo said she supported the idea of allowing individuals to pay for the vaccine of their choice and receive it at an approved vaccination centre at the earliest time possible.

“Malaysia is a democratic country and allowing someone to pay for the vaccine is a consumer’s right. For every feepaying patient, the government will have one less patient to pay for as the burden of cost is shifted to the willing buyer.

“There is no need to fear that this will mean vaccines for the most needy will be sacrificed as the Health Ministry can still dictate the quota and schedule for the private sector,” she said.