PUTRAJAYA: The close cooperation between the Health Ministry and Science, Technology, and Innovation (Mosti) Ministry will continue even after the end of the Covid-19 National Immunisation Programme.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said cooperation between the two ministries was crucial especially in developing vaccines and medical devices.
"Furthermore, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has given a heavy task to Mosti to produce human vaccines.
"We already have animal vaccines, but not yet human vaccines," he said during the handover of duties ceremony between the Health Ministry and Mosti.
Present was Mosti Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.
Khairy said the development of vaccines was crucial to ensure that should there be a need in the coming years, Malaysia would no longer need to negotiate and buy vaccines from abroad.
He added that the Health Ministry would work together and provide support to Mosti to produce vaccines as per its national vaccine development.
As for medical devices developed by the Health Ministry, Khairy said this needs support from Mosti.
"We need to develop medical devices in the next phase, especially during the endemic phase, including for contact tracing.
"As such, although our portfolios are 'swapped', I am confident that the cooperation between the ministries will remain."