KUALA LUMPUR: Despite being most convenient for the public to get vaccinated, clinics of general practitioners (GPs) are the last to receive vaccine supplies whenever there is a shortage, said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr N. Ganabaskaran.
He said GPs, who were the first point of contact and close to the community, should be given priority by the suppliers but this was not happening in reality.
He said currently there was an acute shortage of flu vaccines from the four main suppliers and the GPs were the last to receive the supply if there were stocks.
“Many GPs have called MMA to report this problem. Talk on this is also currently trending on various social media platforms with GPs voicing their displeasure about the supply problem with allegations that importance is given to the private hospitals while the fragmented, but well distributed GP clinics, are being sidelined.
“Each time there is a vaccine shortage, the GPs are the last to receive supply if there are any stocks. Normally, priority is given to the public hospitals, followed by private hospitals and the leftovers to the 7,000 well distributed general practitioners that have faster and more convenient access to the rakyat.
“Private hospitals should continue to focus on secondary and tertiary care as per the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (PHFSA),” he said in a statement today.
He said MMA hopes the suppliers would play a proactive role whenever there is an increase of certain illnesses that could be prevented by primary care practitioners.
“It is estimated that GP visits annually stands at 70 million. Almost 80 per cent of GP patients are repeat or regular patients and majority are families.
"The needs of patients must come first. Convenience in access to healthcare will increase efficiency and ultimately, the standard of healthcare delivery in the country,” he said.
At least 62 people in Penang and 89 students in Johor are down with influenza and influenza-like illnesses (ILIs) as of today.