THE Association of Private Hospitals (APHM) is urging Putrajaya to allow private hospitals to have a seat on national vaccine committees to further assist the government in managing the vaccine rollout.

APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said private hospitals can contribute and need to be included in the various government committees, which oversee the supply and safety of the vaccines being administered in Malaysia.

Kuljit said while private hospitals are grateful to be included as vaccination centres, he urged the government to allow them to procure their own supply.

“The vaccination programme will be further strengthened when private hospitals are able to procure their own vaccines for the economic front-liners and public who require early vaccination for specific reasons.

“The government will have to assist us in this process, particularly when dealing with the manufacturers,” Kuljit said in a statement today.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said last month the government will allow private healthcare providers to open negotiations to procure their own Covid-19 vaccine supplies.

He, however, cautioned that they will only be allowed to do so in the second half of 2021.

Health Minister Dr Adham Baba announced yesterday that private hospitals will be used as vaccination centres for phases two and three of the immunisation programme.

The move will see the government provide the vaccines for free to private hospitals, to widen vaccine access to the public.

Kuljit said while private hospitals are grateful to be included in the vaccination efforts, he said the vaccine strategy needs to be reviewed to enhance the vaccination process.

“High-risk individuals in the second phase should not be left out but at the same time the third phase recipients should be considered for early vaccination,” he said.

Phase 2 of the National Immunisation Programme, which will begin on April 19, will prioritise those above the age of 60, persons with disabilities and those with chronic diseases. In Phase 3, which is set to begin in May, those above the age of 18 will be vaccinated.

On the MySejahtera application, Kuljit said the government needs to explain the acceptability of the app as a vaccination certificate.

“The acceptability of MySejahtera with most countries in recognising our Digital Vaccination Certificate is still unclear, particularly when our citizens need to travel.

“Our concerns remain on the arrival of medical tourists from other countries and the recognition of their vaccination and testing status. The need to restart the economy is essential,” he said.

Last week, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin proposed to the D-8 Organisation for Economic Cooperation (D-8) the possibility of having Reciprocal Covid-19 Vaccine Certificate Recognition among its member states to speed up the reopening of hardest hit sectors.

The D-8 consists of eight developing countries – Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.

Last month, Singapore and Malaysia reaffirmed their commitment to work towards recognising each other’s Covid-19 vaccine certificates, with a view towards facilitating cross-border travel in the future.

As of yesterday, 395,891 people have received both doses of their vaccine shots, while 583,903 people have received the first dose. This brings the total number of doses administered so far to 979,794. – April 13, 2021.