THE Health Ministry (MOH) is currently ensuring 820,000 Form 1 girls get their human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. 

Deputy Minister Lukanisman Awang Saun said the global disruption in the supply of HPV vaccines caused by the Covid-19 pandemic affected the delivery of HPV vaccination in Malaysia, especially for Form 1 female students from 2021. 

 “The procurement of the vaccines took into account the government’s procurement process in line with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). 

 “The ministry is committed to ensuring that all Form 1 female students from 2021, 2022, and 2023 receive the HPV vaccine before they complete their schooling,” he said when replying to a question from Dr Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen (Bandar Kuching-PH) in Dewan Rakyat today. 

Kelvin wanted to know what plans the ministry had for purchasing HPV vaccines, what type of vaccines would be procured and the timeline to ensure school dropouts, especially during the Covid-19 period, received the vaccine. 

Lukanisman said female students from the 2021 group (who are currently in Form 3) would be given priority for the vaccination. 

Responding to Kelvin’s supplementary question on expediting the procurement process, he said the ministry had already opened tenders for the purchase of appropriate types of vaccines and was awaiting approval from the Finance Ministry to expedite the process. 

 The MOH has also prepared 600 vaccination teams to be deployed in each school for vaccination. 

 Replying to another supplementary question from Dr Halimah Ali (Kapar-PN) on the one-dose vaccine and HPV vaccination efforts, Lukanisman said the MOH was confident that vaccination efforts would be expedited to ensure no one was left behind. 

“We are actually using the quadrivalent vaccine with two doses at the moment and our plan for the next procurement is to give a vaccine with one dose. We guarantee efficacy with a single dose,” he said – Bernama, October 17, 2023.