Ministry liaising with CITF to vaccinate medical students

 

The Higher Education Ministry is cooperating with the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) to vaccinate medical and dental students nationwide.

This came after some quarters expressed concern that trainees working at hospitals are exposing themselves to the same Covid-19 risks as other healthcare workers, without the protection of the vaccines.

“The list of students has been submitted to the CITF for notification of vaccine scheduling and the first group has been vaccinated on May 22,” Higher Education Department director (Public Higher Education Institutions Governance Division) Ahmad Rizal Adnan said yesterday in response to Malaysiakini’s queries.

Previously, Malaysiakini reported that a father who asked to be identified only as Michael said that his daughter is completing her compulsory clinical training to become a nurse.

“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 said, adding that his daughter already had a close brush with a Covid-19 patient recently, without knowing the person was infected.

He also claimed that college administrators had reacted to the vaccination issue with indifference.

A health expert based at the University of Malaya’s Centre of Epidemiology & Evidence-Based Practice also wrote a letter to Malaysiakini on medical students being exposed to Covid-19 risks when posted to do medical training 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," said Dr Moy Foong Ming. - Mkini