Walk-in system for Covid-19 vaccination proposed for private, GP clinics

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Members of the public wait in a queue to receive their Covid-19 vaccination. — Bernama file photo

KUCHING (June 8): A walk-in system at private and general practitioner (GP) clinics has been proposed to help the government speed up the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

Social activist Voon Shiak Ni said the suggestion from the public would involve those wishing to be vaccinated to walk in to their family clinic for the inoculation and the clinics updating their status via MySejahtera.

“Looking at the current system, private hospitals and private clinics are also allowed to give vaccines to a ‘back-up’ recipients list, which are submitted by the public to clinics on a voluntary basis and the clinic will then key in the information into the MySejahtera application.

“Since the MySejahtera application has this back-up function for private hospitals and private clinics, it also means that the system can accommodate ‘walk-ins’ for vaccination. This measure will definitely accelerate the process for vaccination,” she suggested in a statement today.

She said the state government should get more private clinics and GPs involved in the Covid-19 vaccination programme to ensure all Sarawakians are vaccinated as soon possible.

“The pandemic is taking a toll on everyone — the health system, the authorities, the front-liners, and communities.

“I believe this is the time when the government needs to source all available manpower to help to speed up vaccination in the bid to end the threats of the raging pandemic,” she said.

According to Voon, there are over 150 private GP clinics in and around the Kuching area.

She opined if the government could mobilise all of them to help with the vaccination programme, it would tremendously accelerate the vaccination roll out.

“We need to speed up the process in the bid to beat virus variants. We know that there are some GPs helping with the vaccination since a few weeks ago and our private hospitals are also tasked to help with the vaccination.

“There are however quite a number of private clinics whose applications have been approved (to administer vaccination) two months ago but are still awaiting for names of recipients to be generated to their clinics for vaccination,” she claimed.

Voon claimed a doctor told her it is not hard to get approval from the Ministry of Health (MoH) to participate in the vaccination roll out, but the release of vaccines to them is a pending issue.

“Furthermore, some (of the GPs involved) have yet to get their ID and password to access to the system of MySejahtera.

“I was also made to understand the issue of the specifications required on the usage of the ice box to store the vaccines and that Sinovac vaccines can be stored at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius, a pre-condition, which can be met by GP clinics,” she said.

She pointed out many younger people in Sarawak are eager to be vaccinated and hope good suggestions can expedite the vaccination roll out to achieve herd immunity as targeted by the end of August.

“We are also hopeful that Sarawak can be the first in Malaysia  to complete vaccination for all its people,” she said.