KUALA LUMPUR: The government has yet to decide whether to make it legally mandatory to be vaccinated, the Dewan Negara was told today.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said the ministry has taken the approach of restricting those who have rejected vaccination from enjoying privileges allowed to fully-vaccinated individuals.
"The government did not make it hard for them, but it was their (individuals who refused to be vaccinated) choice that made it difficult for them and they had refused to listen to scientific arguments.
"This has resulted in them not being able to enjoy the freedom like the people who have been vaccinated.
"We will continue with this approach. I encourage restrictions at sectors level like the civil service, private sector and others, before we look at a holistic approach like making it legally mandatory for the people to be vaccinated," he said in his wrapping-up speech on the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) at the Dewan Negara today.
Khairy said individuals who refused to be vaccinated in the country only represented a small number as over 95 per cent of the adult population in Malaysia received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Moves to impose restrictions on non-vaccinated individuals were deemed to be a more prudent than resorting to legal recourse in forcing them to be vaccinated, he said.
"I hope the gradual approach would help improve the vaccination (among the people). We will continue efforts to persuade them (anti-vaccine individuals) to receive vaccination."
He was replying to an inquiry by Senator Datuk Razali Idris, who had asked if the government would consider taking legal action against anti-vaccine groups.
On Covid-19 vaccine distribution, Khairy said the ministry has taken steps to prevent expired doses, by among others, ensuring prompt delivery by logistics companies to vaccine storage centres nationwide.
He said this step was practiced with deliveries made by companies such as DHL for the Corminaty vaccine by Pfizer; and Pharmaniaga Logistics for the Coronavac and AstraZeneca vaccines.
He said when it came to these current arrangements, the delivery schedule and dosage quantity were based on the vaccine needs for the respective states.
"Apart from that, staff at the vaccination centres (PPVs) take the approach to utilise vaccine doses that are nearing expiry date first and (quickly) mobilise supplies that had yet to be administered to prevent wastage."
On a separate matter, Khairy said the ministry would hold discussions with the Public Service Department to increase public health personnel.
Up to August, he said the ministry has a total of 6,015 medical specialists (5,993 permanent and 22 others on contract) nationwide.
To address the lack of medical specialists, the government had taken several initiatives including adding more slots for the Federal Training Sponsorship to allow more medical officers further studies in specialist master's programme.
"In this regard, 1,300 slots were allotted for 2021, compared with 926 slots in 2015. Apart from that medical officers could also enroll in specialist training programme through 'Parallel Pathway' (part of the overall post-graduate training programme).
"Through this programme, 189 medical officers have successfully become specialists in 2020, compared with 98 in 2011."
He said the government has also decided to rehire retired Malaysian medical specialist officers and outsourcing of specialist services from private sector.
Apart from human resources management, Khairy also addressed three other aspects in his wrapping-up speech, namely, building and upgrading health facilities; pandemic management and public health enhancement.
He said the ministry was allocated RM4.36 billion for development under the 12MP's first rolling plan.
The allocation was for 395 development projects, of which 333 of them were physical projects and the remaining 62 were non-physical projects.
Khairy said the government allocated RM422.49 million for Sabah and RM820.77 million for Sarawak under the first rolling plan alone.