Khairy: Govt to set up scheme to handle Covid-19 vaccine side effects

PUTRAJAYA: The government is setting up a scheme to handle any serious adverse effects arising from the Covid-19 vaccination programme, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Khairy Jamaluddin (pic).

“Cabinet has agreed that the Health Ministry will prepare a special vaccine injury scheme which we will announce in due course, ” he said at a press conference at the launch of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Plan handbook in Putrajaya on Tuesday (Feb 16).

He said this was agreed after Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin chaired a special Cabinet meeting and that issue was discussed.

This is in response to a question about whether the government has considered liability issues in the event of severe health effects from receiving the Covid-19 jab.

Singapore had recently introduced the vaccine injury financial assistance programme for Covid-19 vaccinations, which is aimed at providing financial aid to affected persons in the rare event of serious side effects.

According to Singapore’s Health Ministry website, a one-time pay-out of up to $10,000 (RM30,000) will be provided to eligible individuals who are hospitalised in the Intensive Care Unit but who subsequently recover from the serious side effects of the vaccine.

A one-time pay-out of $225,000 (RM685,000) will be provided to an individual who dies or suffers permanent severe disability as a result of Covid-19 vaccination.