I READ elsewhere that Penang Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Rural Development and Health Committee chairman Norlela Ariffin had told representatives of the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) during a meeting that the state had arranged for on-site vaccinations at factories and mobile vaccination units.

Simply put, conduct on-site inoculations at factories. Doesn’t seem like rocket science to me.

Remember immunisation in schools?

School-based immunisation in Malaysia is part of a comprehensive School Health Programme (SHP) that was established in 1967. It was a joint programme between the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Education (MOE) after some pilot testing.

It was later incorporated into the Maternal and Child Health programme in 1971. Eventually, a joint committee between MOH and MOE was established. In 1995, the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Health-Promoting School concept was modified and adapted into SHP to further strengthen the school-based health programme in Malaysia.

Eventually, the “Program Bersepadu Sekolah Sihat” was launched in 1997.

Even the WHO has acknowledged Malaysia’s school-based health. In a 2008 “School Immunisation Programme in Malaysia” report, the writers wrote:

“Incorporating school-based immunisation as part of a comprehensive school health programme seems to facilitate the acceptance of vaccination as multiple and non-threatening interactions take place between the members of the school health team and the pupils before immunisations are being given.”

What say CITF? – June 11, 2021.

* Hafiz Hassan 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.