SETTING up more smaller Covid-19 vaccination centres around the country would make a better sense than the government pushing through to create super-large vaccination centres, said Bukit Gasing rep Rajiv Rishyakaran.

He said these super-sized centres would only cause more inconvenience to the people, especially those in the bottom 40 group. 

“If mega vaccination centres are set up, even assuming one in each district or state, then there will be a lot of travelling for this group. 

“This is especially harder in states where public transport is not an option like it is in the Klang Valley. This may result in highly burdening them with expensive travelling fees,” he said in a statement today. 

Rajiv said the government should focus on bringing the vaccines nearer to the people in a more convenient manner. 

He was referring to national vaccination Coordinating Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s recent remarks that the government was discussing with the Perak government to set up a larger vaccination centre in Ipoh.

To this, Rajiv said Khairy should be aiming to set up more centres on a smaller scale so that on average everyone would have to travel the same distance to receive their vaccination shot.

“Setting up many small centres would also satisfy the objective of vaccinating more people while ensuring social distancing is in place without straining the people.” 

He also said having mega vaccination centres would also mean there would be lots of walking required from when the time of the arrival until the jab is given. 

“This would be a huge hassle to senior citizens and the differently abled community with mobility difficulties.” 

He added that renting fancy conventions centres for these vaccination processes was also a display of a poor use of resources. 

Rajiv said that using the government resources to rent these expensive locations instead of using already existing government buildings raises a question of how much the government is paying attention to how they are spending the taxpayer’s money. 

“I strongly urge the government to reconsider setting up mega vaccination centres and instead set up more smaller-scale centres. 

“While battling this pandemic, it is very important to keep in mind the welfare of the people,” he said. – April 12, 2021.