'Employers to pay': What happened to RM5b vaccine budget, Yeo asks govt

 

Bakri MP Yeo Bee Yin has questioned why employers are being made to foot the administration and venue costs for Covid-19 vaccines.

She pointed out that the government had already allocated RM3.5 billion for the procurement of Covid-19 vaccines and RM1.5 billion for supporting the administrative expenses in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP).

This is as Phase 4 of the immunisation programme is set to kick off which will see workers in critical economic sectors receive the Covid-19 vaccine.

"As Phase 4 starts, employers are asked to pay for the vaccination administration fees.

"Does that mean that the NIP is now spending above the budgeted RM5 billion? Otherwise, vaccine and vaccination administration fees should have been budgeted at RM 3.5 billion and RM 1.5 billion respectively, and come free for everyone.

"To ensure full transparency, the government should publish the spending report since the beginning of NIP," said Yeo (above), who is the former energy, technology, science, climate change and environment minister.

She said while many employers may not mind footing the bills as long as it ensures a faster reopening of businesses during the Covid-19 pandemic, there are some that have been badly hit and can't afford the cost.

The government is set to fully subsidise the cost of all Covid-19 vaccines.

However, employers are expected to pay RM15 per dose per employee for on-site "administration cost".

For those who opt to get vaccinated at a vaccination centre, employers must also pay RM30 per dose per employee.

On a related matter, Yeo said as the government moved to administer the Covid-19 vaccine on economic frontliners, there must be a fair evaluation on who should be prioritised.

"I call upon the government not to neglect the hawkers, small traders, small service providers such as hairdressers as economic frontliners.

"In my dialogues with hawkers and market traders in Bakri constituency, most of them were concerned about the high infection but still have to go to open their stalls whenever they can, because to them no work means no income.

"The government must make sure that the economic front-liner vaccination programme does not further exacerbate the gap between the haves and the have-nots during the pandemic," she said. - Mkini