Private hospitals start Covid-19 vaccinations under national immunisation plan

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Several private hospitals in the country have started administering the Covid-19 vaccine to the general public on Monday (June 7) following the government’s decision to allow private hospitals to be used as vaccination centres, in phases two and three of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.

In Penang, three private hospitals started to vaccinate Penangites, namely Pantai Hospital Penang (PHP), Lam Wah Ee Hospital and KPJ Penang, with a daily target of 500 recipients a day.

ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dr Anas Alam Faizli said more private hospitals and general practitioners (GPs) registered under the vaccination programme will soon begin their operation.

He said 12 private hospitals and more than 100 GPs have registered under ProtectHealth, the implementer of private medical practitioners’ participation in the national immunisation exercise.

"We believe if all the GPs and private hospitals in Penang participate in this programme, we can increase and achieve the target dosage per day set by the Penang government, ” he said during a site visit to the PHP vaccination centre on Monday.

In Negri Sembilan, CMH Specialist Hospital has been selected as a Covid-19 vaccination centre in Seremban to facilitate efforts towards achieving herd immunity against the deadly virus.

Its president Datuk Lee Tian Hock in a statement said that the hospital will inoculate those on the list of recipients provided by the government on time under the guidance of the Health Ministry and ProtectHealth.

He said the vaccination process will follow the qualification criteria set by the ministry through the MySejahtera application or vaksincovid.gov.my.

Lee reminded vaccine recipients to bring along their identity card, mobile phone and their own pen on the day of their appointment.

Meanwhile in Perak, Ar-Ridzuan Medical Centre in Ipoh joined in the effort to help speed up the Covid-19 vaccination programme in Perak by inoculating 50 people.

Ar-Ridzuan Medical Group General Manager Khairul Salleh Abdul Rani said the elderly and chronic patients who received their appointment via the MySejahtera application were given the Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine starting 9am.

"We have also given vaccine injections to 67 patients receiving haemodialysis treatment through the outreach programme with the Health Ministry that started in May," he told a press conference here.

He said the medical group was also ready to help the state government expedite the Covid-19 vaccination programme in rural areas, including in Orang Asli villages, to achieve herd immunity.

Khairul Salleh said the hospital could vaccinate 200 recipients a day, adding all quarters should check the appointment notification on their MySejahtera application often so that they will not miss the opportunity to get vaccinated against the disease.- Bernama