KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) urges the government to approve more on-site vaccination centres as its member companies are ready, willing and able to support this effort.
MSIA president Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai (pic, below) urged the government to approve MSIA’s proposal to establish mobile vaccination units (MVU) so they can service the SMEs with lesser headcount by going to their factories.
“This will reduce the movement of people while accelerating the vaccination programme. Together, we will flatten the curve and prepare the economy for a strong rebound, ” he said in a statement.
Wong said the MSIA appreciated the efforts of the government, in particular the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Ministry of Health (MOH) for coordinating the vaccination programme for the factories.
“The Program Imunisasi Industri COVID-19 Kerjasama Awam-Swasta (PIKAS) will expedite the attainment of herd immunity for the manufacturing sector especially for the semiconductor and electronics industry workers, ” he said.
He added MSIA was grateful that the government is committed to ensuring the provision of free vaccines for all employees registered under PIKAS.
Wong added the MSIA member companies will support the administering of the vaccines utilising private medical practitioners, vaccination at designated factory premises and the set up of the vaccination centres.
He added two MSIA member companies’ employees were vaccinated at 8am on Wednesday, one at the on-site centre in Kuala Lumpur and the other at the common site in Penang.
He said the E&E industry in Malaysia, particularly the semiconductor ecosystem has critical cross-industry linkages and applications. The supply chain of this industry is highly integrated, be it within its own industry or with other industries, locally and worldwide.
“The global semiconductor and electronics industry plays a critical role in the global economy and the supply of vital components for medical devices, critical infrastructure and equipment vital to healthcare.
“Currently the global electronics industry is facing an acute component shortage impacting the medical equipment, automotive and other electronics products.
“In 2020, the contribution of the E&E industry to this nation is significant, accounting for 6.8% of its GDP and 39% of its total exports and the employment of 575, 000 people, ” he added.
The E&E industry topped the approved investments in the manufacturing sector last year.
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