DEAR Sir,

We thank you for being the face of leadership in these times of crisis and this letter hopes it receives your attention to steer us back to normalcy.

Science

The science tells us that more vaccines in the arms of Malaysians are the way out of this pandemic.

US and UK data is evidence that when 45% of adults are vaccinated it turns the curve around.

The science tells us that in the oversubscription during the opt-in for the AstraZeneca vaccine means we have more people eager to get the vaccines than those who hesitate.

The data also informs us that no-shows for vaccines comprise a small sample of the population compared to those who have not received their vaccines. We need more vaccines and quickly.

When we cut through the noise, our national goal is simple.

Your goal is to have enough vaccines for 45% of adult Malaysians within two months. Then draw a plan to execute it.

Less talk about exploring this, discussing that, doing this and trying this. In a crisis, there is no time to leave things to chance.

When we use vague language, and a plan that relies heavily on uncertainties and unknowns, it is a roadmap to failure.

It is a come-what-may plan. We are not driving and managing the plan to the desired outcome.

Technology

RM70million certainly buys a lot of technology. We need multilingual call centres to answer calls and follow up.

We need a simple e-ticketing system to respond to email queries. We need people to manage these escalations. We need to know how successful these centres operate.

How many dropped calls, how many in a queue, time on call, best time to call, time in queue, resolution rates, etc.

At 70million, the least an app can do is to provide a vaccination date. At the very least. That’s what every Malaysian needs. Would you be OK to issue the following orders to your ministry?

• All registered Mysejahtera users should have a first appointment date, even if it is two months away.
• All users who have the first dose should have a second appointment date before first vaccine expires
• Complete this by June 5, 2021. Heads roll if this is not achieved.

The unnecessary anxiety Malaysians face is the uncertainty of their vaccine dates.

You need to put a stake in the ground, commit to these dates and work your charm to secure the vaccines.

Innovation

I propose a simple innovation. Every Mysejahtera user should indicate if they are open to any vaccines in their profile.

This option frees up the system to schedule them in another queue. There is no need to have a lottery draw at midday to secure a date.

A lottery system usually fails due to peak traffic volumes, for which systems are not designed. It is acceptable when buying a limited edition Nike footwear but not suited for vaccines.

By allowing systems to issue vaccination dates, we influence the national prioritisation of vaccine rollout.

Ultimately, remember Pareto’s 80/20 rule. Let’s keep our eye on the 80%.

You have the calm, resolve, humanity, and leadership to help succeed in this deployment. Good luck, I hope you succeed. – June 2, 2021.

* Lt (Rtd) Chin Peng Hon reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.