Nation

NIP's Phase 2 to start with 2,330 senior citizens

IPOH: The Health Ministry (MoH) has agreed to implement the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme beginning this April with residents at institutions for senior citizens, involving 2,330 people.

Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun said her ministry was now working with the MoH and the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry (MOSTI) to coordinate the matter, especially for those at institutions under the Welfare Department (JKM).

"The number is part of the 80,000 names comprising senior citizens, chronic patients and people with disabilities (PwD) given to the MoH.

"The Welfare Department is also collecting the data of members of the Senior Citizens Activity Centres (PAWE) for the vaccination, involving more than 47,000 senior citizens," she told a press conference after handing over an allocation of RM450,000 for PAWE in Perak here today.

She said her ministry would conduct an advocacy programme to instil awareness on the need for the public to get the Covid-19 vaccine jab and called on all the people, especially senior citizens, to register for the immunisation programme through the channels provided, including the MySejahtera application.

Earlier, in her speech, Rina said the government was targeting to set up Senior Citizens Activity Centres (PAWE) in all parliamentary constituencies in the country by 2030.

She said there were currently 143 PAWEs in 131 parliamentary constituencies, involving 47,627 members.

"This year, the Welfare Department has allocated RM2 million for the establishment of 20 new PAWEs, including RM100,000 for repair work and the purchase of equipment for the new PAWE in Kuala Kangsar, Perak," she said.

She said the government was also implementing the Aged-Friendly City as a pilot project Taiping, being that Perak had the highest percentage of senior citizens in the country at 15.8 percent.

"Through this project, carried out in collaboration with the Economic Planning Unit and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the ministry will develop a blueprint that can be used by local authorities in providing an area or city that is friendly to all ages, including the senior citizens," she said.

In another development, she said the ministry would discuss with the Public Service Department on the proposal for working from home (WFH) as raised by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

On March 8, in conjunction with the 2021 Women's Day, the prime minister said that the government was looking into extending the WFH arrangement for both the public and private sector staff and giving full pay to enable workers to care of ailing family member, or in the case of men, to help their wives look after their newborn child.-- BERNAMA

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