Covid-19: Concerns over safety of unvaccinated nursing, medical students

 

A concerned father questions why nursing students who are working at hospitals have yet to be vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP).

This came as the student nurses, among others, have not received their jabs as they are not considered frontliners.

Only wanting to be named as Michael, the father called it unfair as the trainee nurses work in the same environment as the others and thus are exposed to the same health risk.

"My daughter is supposed to complete her compulsory clinical training. Then she will take her exam before being posted to one of the hospitals.

"However, she is not vaccinated. I don't know about student nurses in other places, but in Ayer Keroh, Malacca where my daughter is studying, they are not doing anything about this.

"The students are highly exposed to this virus. If they eventually get infected, what are they going to do?" he told Malaysiakini.

Michael's daughter had a brush with coronavirus recently, when she provided treatment to a patient without knowing that the person had Covid-19.

He said the patient was allowed into the private hospital's emergency unit before the individual's swab test result came back.

"Luckily my daughter was wearing full personal protective equipment. After they knew about the patient's result, my daughter was sent home to undergo quarantine for a couple of days.

"After quarantine, she had to come back on duty albeit still not having received her Covid-19 vaccination," he added.

Michael said he had escalated the immunisation issue to the varsity she studies with.

However, he claimed that the college administrators had reacted with "indifference". 

"Even the college principal and instructors are vaccinated, although they are not really exposed (to danger) as they are in a college environment.

"If this were to happen to their daughters, would they still be like this?"

Malaysiakini has requested a response from the university over the claims.

Queries have also been sent to the Higher Education Ministry, Health Ministry and the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force, seeking their responses.

The issue of medical field students not being prioritised in the NIP is not an isolated incident.

Earlier this week, a similar issue was raised by Dr Moy Foong Ming, who is attached to the Centre of Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Practice, Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya.

In a letter to Malaysiakini, the health expert spoke about medical students doing clinical training being exposed to the risk of Covid-19 when posted at hospitals without being vaccinated.

"They are the only ones not vaccinated for Covid-19 in the clinical setting. They are at high risk of getting infected by their patients or transmitting Covid-19 to their patients.

"These students should be regarded as part of the medical team; they are performing history-taking, physical examinations and assisting in procedures in the clinics and wards, all of which form part of their education," she said. - Mkini