MALAYSIA’S Covid-19 vaccination programme is on track with the first batch of vaccine recipients expected to be inoculated in March, said Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

“The government has signed three agreements with vaccine manufacturers and is expected to receive its first batch of vaccines at the end of February,” he said in a special address announcing the Permai economic stimulus package.

“Through the Special Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee (JKJAV), the government will ensure transparency in the vaccine procurement (process) and the National Immunisation Programme will be prioritised,” he added.

The guidelines and procedures related to the administration of vaccines will be announced soon.

“Realistically, the vaccination programme will go on in phases for a period of 12 months,” he said.

Putrajaya aims to immunise about 80% of the population or 27 million people by the first quarter of 2022.

The government has allocated a total of RM3 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines.

“I would also like to share that the Special Muzakarah Committee of the National Council for Malaysian Islamic Affairs has decreed that the Covid-19 vaccine is allowed, and is a necessity for specific groups,” he said.

“Ensuring the welfare of the community by protecting people from being infected by dangerous diseases is not something new from the (Islamic) Syarak perspective,” he added.

Muhyiddin also announced that private hospitals have agreed to receive and treat both Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 patients to help alleviate the burden on the public healthcare system.

As such, Putrajaya will pump in RM100 million into this initiative.

Director-general of health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah told The Malaysian Insight earlier that private hospitals will soon be able to start treating less severe Covid-19 patients in Categories 1,2 and 3.

This is among the arrangements made between Putrajaya and private hospitals following a high-level discussion on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin added that the government has spent RM150 million to recruit 3,500 healthcare personnel who will commence duty at the end of the month. This will be in addition to the 8,000 recruitments approved by the Health Ministry last year.

“These recruits comprise assistant medical officers, paramedics, laboratory technicians and nurses. My commitment is that the government will increase the recruitment of healthcare professionals should the need arise to support the immunisation programme,” he said.

Health frontliners will also receive their one-off allowance of RM500 announced under budget 2021 in the first quarter of this year. Similarly, other frontliners will also be paid their one-off allowance of RM300 within the same period.

“Meanwhile, the existing special monthly allowance of RM600 to healthcare frontliners and RM200 to other frontliners will continue until the Covid-19 pandemic is over,” he said.

Muhyiddin today announced the RM15 billion Permai economic stimulus package. This is the fifth economic stimulus package announced to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The total allocation under the five packages now stands at RM320 billion. – January 18, 2021.