PUTRAJAYA and the Health Ministry should not place any terms or conditions on states like Sarawak that wish to directly procure Covid-19 vaccines from the source, said James Masing.

The Sarawak deputy chief minister said since the supply of the vaccines to states under the present arrangement “is not as we have anticipated”, the federal government should therefore allow the state and state governments that have the funds to make the procurement from any international source.

He also said “recognised” clinics and pharmacies be similarly given the permission and with no restrictions to procure the vaccine on their own.

“Tough times require tough decisions. We want to create herd immunity in Sarawak as soon as possible.

“The demand to be vaccinated is more than supply,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Masing said economic considerations must not be a factor by Putrajaya when making the decision to allow the procurement by state governments or the private sector.

“People’s health must take precedence above economic considerations,” he said.

He said, however, that the vaccines must be listed as controlled medication and a price cap put on them, if it was to be offered privately to the public.

The enforcement of it must be very stringent, he added, and profiteers will have to be severely penalised.

Masing said if his suggestions are implemented, Malaysia might be able to flatten the curve and the menace of Covid-19 could be contained.

“The United States has done it with their warp speed (roll-out) of the vaccine. Now the use of face masks in the US is no longer mandatory.

“If the US, with over 200 million people can do it, there is no reason why Sarawak with 2.8 million can’t.

“We have the funds. Please allow us to use it for the sake of our people.”

Sarawak had set a target to vaccinate 2.2 million people in the state, including foreign residents, by the end of August.

Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg highlighted some of the difficulties the Sarawak government faced in trying to secure a sufficient supply of the vaccines in his Raya Aidilfitri message.

He said the state government needed to get the permission of the federal government and related agencies before the vaccine order could be made.

He said in addition, the state government also needed to get the permission of the federal government to gazette private hospitals, especially those in the urban areas, as vaccination centres to speed up the immunisation process.

Abang Johari said with so many lives already lost in Sarawak, the state government’s priority had been to combat the Covid-19.

As of yesterday, 214 Sarawakians have died from Covid-19. – May 14, 2021.