MOH should decentralise walk-in vaccination to smaller PPVs - MP

Chan visited SICC PPV to understand the situation on the ground.

17 Aug 2021

KOTA KINABALU: Kota Kinabalu MP Chan Foong Hin today said that the Ministry of Health (MOH) ought to vigorously promote decentralised vaccination instead of focusing on mega vaccination centres (PPVs).

The DAP Sabah Secretary T who visited the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC) PPV yesterday after aerial photographs of long queues spilling onto the road emerged on social media a few days ago noted that many people are concerned about whether Covid-19 will be spread due to the surging crowd in the mega PPV.

“There are advantages and disadvantages to having mega vaccination administration centres.

"One of the inherent disadvantages of mega PPVs is the potential underestimation of crowds, leading to overcrowding of people, especially those that allow walk-in vaccination without an appointment," he said in a statement today.

According to Chan, he has spoken to Dr Pathman, the person in charge at SICC PPV from the Ministry of Health (MOH) where he was told that some of those queuing outside the PPV had to come early in order to catch boat rides back to islands near Kota Kinabalu.

“Furthermore, Dr Pathman told me that there were also people from as far as Sipitang and Kota Belud, some of them even chartered a bus.

“The PPV authorities do not have much control over the crowds formed outside the parking lot of PPV and it is difficult for them to maintain order beyond their jurisdiction.”

The MP said lanes are clearly demarcated just outside the PPV, which can vaccinate 8,000 people daily, for those getting their Covid-19 shots under the PIKAS industrial programme, walk-in citizens, and walk-in non-citizens. 

The queues for those with vaccination appointments and Malaysians walking in for their jabs move relatively fast, unlike the queues for foreigners, some of whom do not have any identification documents.

“The biggest bottleneck in the entire process is registration. If non-citizens do not have any documents or information, they must fill in the information, and the MOH will then issue them a special certificate to identify their vaccination status.

“On average, it takes 15 minutes for one person to register information because there are many people who are basically illiterate and do not have smartphones.”

Undocumented immigrants have sprung up in Sabah like mushrooms after the rain, for decades. Government has no choice but to open the doors wide for all to come to get vaccinated, including the undocumented immigrants, and ensure that there is no forceful arrest. Covid-19 certainly will not differentiate between citizens and non-citizens.

Chan pointed out that MOH should set up smaller PPVs around Kota Kinabalu to further disperse the crowd. Currently, the Kota Kinabalu Health Department has two mobile vaccination centres (buses) dedicated to the EMCO area to vaccinate people at their homes.

He is also calling on the authorities to deploy more police officers, RELA and Civil Defence Force (APM) to help maintain order, especially outside the parking lot.