It said this would discourage them from getting vaccinated.

Home minister Hamzah Zainudin had told Parliament that the reporting was among the SOPs decided by the Cabinet for the vaccination programme of undocumented migrants.

“Referring to the nationwide vaccination strategies for undocumented migrants, the Cabinet, on July 30 decided on a vaccination SOP for the group.

“The government, among others, agreed that information related to undocumented migrants should be documented and recorded according to the general circular from the director-general of health,” he said in a written parliamentary reply to Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham.

In a statement, MMA president Dr Koh Kar Chai said the SOP would definitely create a setback in the vaccination efforts.

“We are dismayed to hear the home minister say in a press statement that the government requires healthcare workers to notify security forces if undocumented migrants show up at health facilities and vaccination centres.

“Those individuals not already registered with MySejahtera are to undergo a process of documentation to enable them to be registered.

“However, the mention that health service providers are to inform security forces about the presence of undocumented migrants at health and vaccination centres will send a wrong message to the migrants who have yet to be vaccinated.”

He noted that health minister Khairy Jamaluddin had, during his tenure as vaccine coordinating minister, mentioned that the Covid-19 immunisation task force (CITF) guidelines had been approved to encourage undocumented migrants to come forward to be vaccinated.

Koh also reiterated Khairy’s emphasis that the guidelines were formed under the principles that “no one is safe until everyone is safe” and the “no wrong door policy” of the vaccination programme.

“The guidelines were implemented while taking into consideration the various legislations in force at that time.”