Vaccine: List all healthcare workers under category 1 - MMA

The Special Committee for Ensuring Access to COVID-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) is urged to review its categorisation of frontliners and list all healthcare workers directly exposed to the risk of Covid-19 under category 1 in its guidelines.

The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) in its statement today said this must be done as it was in line with the World Health Organisation's (WHO) call to accelerate vaccine equity for all healthcare workers.

“MMA is aware that vaccination for category 1 and 2 is planned to roll out concurrently. However, it is not reflected at the ground level.

“With the National Immunisation Programme (NIP) decentralised to the respective state health departments, closer engagement and improved communication with the private healthcare sector is needed for better coordination and to prevent any confusion,” it said.

Currently, under the guidelines, general practitioners (GPs), private specialist clinics and dentists are listed under category 2 along with the defence and security forces, police personnel, primary and secondary school teachers and other essential services personnel.

“Private GPs and many private specialist clinics are usually the first point of care for patients with symptoms of Severe Acute Respiratory Illness (Sari) and Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) - the most common symptoms in patients infected with Covid-19.

“A number of GPs and their staff had been infected with Covid-19 from exposure to patients with these symptoms who were later found to be Covid-19 positive. Some clinics had to shut down for 14 days as a result because the GPs and their staff had to be quarantined,” it said.

“GPs are also currently conducting mass and community Covid-19 screenings which put them at increased risk of infection,” the MMA said.

It said that placing GPs in category 2 of the guidelines under the Covid-19 NIP showed that they were not being recognised as an integral part of the mainstream healthcare system and this would only delay efforts to bring the pandemic under control.

It added that dentists and their staff were also exposed to the risk of Covid-19 as patients needed to remove their face mask to be examined and treated.

- Bernama