MMA president Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo said being a medical procedure, vaccination requires clinical assessment, identification of contraindications and readiness to manage adverse or anaphylactic reactions.
“It also involves strict adherence to cold chain management, documentation and patient follow-up – all of which must be performed within a regulated clinical environment under qualified medical supervision,” he said in a statement today.
Thirunavukarasu said doctors who administer vaccines carry medico-legal responsibility and are protected by professional indemnity insurance, ensuring accountability and protection for both the patient and practitioner.
“This framework of legal and professional responsibility is fundamental to patient safety.
“The suggestion to expand vaccination duties beyond clinical settings in the name of convenience is misguided and risks undermining patient safety,” he said.
Yesterday, MPS president Amrahi Buang said allowing pharmacists to administer vaccines would reduce the pressure on hospitals and keep classrooms open following the surge in influenza cases.
He said expanding vaccination access points could help close access gaps when clinics run out of stock, especially during case surges.
Amrahi said pharmacists are legally authorised in the Philippines to administer adult vaccines under the Philippine Pharmacy Act.
However, Thirunavukarasu rejected the “misleading” comparison, saying that the law in question, passed in 2016 and implemented only from 2021, was introduced out of necessity due to doctor shortages and access challenges across more than 7,600 islands in the Philippines.
He said given the availability of general practitioner (GP) clinics in Malaysia, doing so is unnecessary and could compromise patient safety, quality and accountability.
“Our GP clinics are easily accessible and embedded within communities, having played a critical frontline role during the Covid-19 pandemic – delivering vaccinations safely, managing complications and maintaining continuity of care under proper clinical governance and monitoring.
“MMA reiterates that commercial interests must never supersede patient safety and quality of care.
“Vaccination is not a transaction. It is a clinical act that carries accountability, responsibility and duty of care.
“The focus should remain on strengthening coordination, increasing public awareness and improving vaccine confidence through the country’s existing clinical network, not creating parallel systems with diluted oversight,” he said.