APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh pointed out that there was no competition to see who can get vaccinated first nor was there any profit motive involved.
“Private healthcare just wants to chip in where they can to help Malaysia get back on its feet,” he said, adding that allowing private hospitals to buy their own vaccines would also free up slots in the national waiting list for those who can’t afford to get vaccinated themselves.
He said this in response to the government agreeing to rope in general practitioners to administer Covid-19 vaccines in phase two and three of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
Welcoming the move, Kuljit, however, urged the government to hasten the process by allowing private healthcare providers to procure their own NPRA-approved vaccines.
He said that based on the current rate of vaccination, it will take a long time for the government to complete vaccinating all of its frontliners on the list, much less the general population.
“As it stands, you have to register for your first dose and wait for your booking to be confirmed. All that adds up to make the waiting time much longer than it should be.
“It is also important to note how the government’s vaccine will be arriving in batches, extending the wait even longer,” he added.
According to Kuljit, if private hospitals could procure their own vaccines, those who can afford the vaccines will be freeing up slots for those who can’t afford it.
“Although some are understandably concerned with the issue of fairness, this is not the time to start any discussion on why the wealthier should get protected earlier than the rest.”
He highlighted that the priority was to protect as many people against Covid-19 and as fast as possible.
“There is no point having one group protected while the rest are not.”
On the pricing for vaccinations, should the government give the necessary approval, Kuljit said there will be no profiteering involved.
“Rest assured that we’ll only be charging the market price for the vaccine. We’re not trying to exploit the pandemic,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Press Club (NPC) is hopeful that discussions with the government will see media workers, including journalists and photographers, getting the Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
Bernama reported NPC president Ahirudin Attan as saying that media workers are also frontline personnel who should be vaccinated in the initial phase as they go to the ground to cover the news and come face-to-face with the people.
He added that NPC is aware of the need for other frontliners to be given priority for Covid-19 jabs but wants media workers to receive the appropriate attention under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
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