PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Shopping Malls Association has refuted claims that it has imposed a RM50 fee on its staff for on-site vaccinations, clarifying that the fee is for charges imposed by ProtectHealth Corporation for the administration of vaccines.
MSMA said that ProtectHealth charges RM15 per dose for doctors, nurses or medical officers to administer the vaccine and the payment is paid upfront and non-refundable.
"The malls are to provide the venue and all the antecedent manpower from administration to security and standby ambulance service whereby the real cost to the mall is RM100 to RM150 per dose depending on volume and size of the PPV centre," it said in a statement on Saturday (June 12).
ProtectHealth is the Health Ministry-appointed implementer of private medical practitioner participation in the national immunisation programme.
MSMA reiterated that the malls have offered to subsidise this programme by only charging a mere RM10 per dose out of the total cost of RM100 to RM150 for one dose.
"The notional RM10 per dose is a commitment for the participant to turn up for vaccination," it said, adding that the fee is to avoid no shows and vaccines going to waste.
"We did not ask our staff to pay for the cost. However, we did advise our malls to bill their tenants or shops a standard amount of RM50 as a subsidised charge as this will work as a commitment for participants to turn up," it said.
The association also clarified that it has encouraged employers to absorb the cost for their employees.
"It must also be noted that the programme is offered solely on an optional basis targeted towards shopping frontliners, not the public, and there is completely no coercion to participate," it added.
