KUALA LUMPUR: The private sector should emulate the move by the Public Service Department (PSD) which made it mandatory for federal civil servants to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said fully vaccinated staff will not only be able to return to work but also facilitate economic recovery efforts and restore services to the people.
It is proven that with vaccination, infectivity and the possibility of severe categories associated with Covid-19, have been reduced in Malaysia and internationally.
"The private sector must emulate the move that the government has implemented for their staff and not wait till it is mandated or regulated by law," he said in a statement.
Most staff at private hospitals throughout the country, have been vaccinated and many have imposed a compulsory vaccination policy to protect the welfare of their staff and patients.
Dr Kuljit added that various policies have helped encourage staff to be vaccinated such as compulsory regular testing and re-designation of work for those who refuse, and fortunately such numbers (unvaccinated) are very small in private hospitals.
"We hope all private service providers particularly with direct public contact will enforce compulsory vaccination, and those without public contact should also have similar rules to avoid infection among office colleagues.
"The responsibility of containing the pandemic is in the hands of the entire work force both in public and private sectors," he said.
On the mandatory vaccine ruling by the PSD, he said, the announcement was commendable and timely since the service and facilities provided by public service officers are largely to the public and a fully vaccinated work force is the best option.
"The implementation of compulsory vaccination for all federal government staff is a clear indication that the authorities are deeply concerned about those who resist vaccination, and the possible collapse of healthcare services, particularly Intensive Care Units.
"Non-Covid 19 patients have suffered a lot of inconvenience in recent months because of the surge in patients who contracted the virus at both private and public hospitals," he said.