Ministry looking at how best to implement vaccine programme
CYBERJAYA: The Health Ministry is re-strategising the implementation of the free pneumococcal vaccination programme to better use the RM60mil allocated for it.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic) said this was because the allocation was half of what they had asked for in Budget 2020.
“However, it is still a good start as this move is long overdue, ” he said after the launch of the Crest Digital Healthcare Cluster here yesterday.
Providing pneumococcal vaccination to children is also part of Pakatan Harapan’s 14th General Election manifesto, under its ninth pledge, which is to improve access and quality of the country’s health services.
Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry would now have to rethink how it could best implement the programme.
“For the amount that we are given, we must go back to the drawing board to re-strategise how we can get it implemented next year.
“We have to be calculative. Hopefully, we will get better allocation for the programme in the coming years, ” he added.
On whether the government intends to make pneumococcal vaccination compulsory for all children, Dr Dzulkely said the issue must be looked at thoroughly first.
“As much as we want to achieve this, we have to implement it judiciously as there are implications. What is more of a priority is to make vaccination available to communities in remote areas.
“After we are able to address that issue, then we will look into making it compulsory for all, ” he said.
Pneumococcal vaccination protects against pneumococcal infections such as pneumonia, meningitis, bacteraemia and otitis media (middle ear infection).
Earlier in his speech, Dr Dzulkefly announced the 5G Digital Healthcare initiative, which was one of the key Digital Healthcare Cluster initiatives to lower healthcare costs and provide effective care for the masses.
“With the introduction of 5G, it is expected to bring new efficiencies, particularly in creating self-management capabilities and facilitating access to healthcare to minimise costs, ” he said.
Under the initiative, Crest (Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology Centre) will work with the ministry, as well as Digi Telecommunications, Cyberview Sdn Bhd and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, to use 5G technology in areas such as remote health monitoring and the Emergency Medical Services.
Source: TheStar
