Selling Vaccines To Private Sector : But Which Private Hospital Will Buy Vaccines When 15 Million People Have Been Vaccinated Already - For Free?

 My Comments :  

So yesterday the DPM Ismail Sabri said 14 million doses of vaccines will be sold to the private sector.  

Here is Status Terkini Covid-19 information from yesterday 21 July 2021. As you can see 10.3 million people have received the 1st dose and 4.8 million have received two doses. That is a total of 15.07 million.

First, here are some questions for Adham Baba. 

But how many of these 15.07 million doses were REAL VACCINES versus EMPTY VACCINES? 

Yesterday the death toll was 199 deaths. Is anyone dying because they were injected with EMPTY VACCINES? 

Hello Adham Baba - macam mana pakcik dan makcik, uncle dan aunty dan orang tua nak tahu 100% dia kena suntik vaccine betul atau vaccine kosong?  Vaksin sudah berjalan sejak berbulan dah. Macam mana lah pakcik dan uncle yang di suntik vaksin bulan Februari, bulan April dsbnya boleh tahu mereka di suntik dengan vaksin betul atau di suntik EMPTY VACCINE?)

Ok back to selling those 14 million doses to the private sector.  Congratulations are due to the Government because the vaccination rate has increased very well.  Congratulations to the Minister of MOSTI as well. 

• We are now doing around 400,000 vaccinations per day. 
• Which is now close to the highest rate of vaccination in the whole world (if not the highest). 
• On a per capita basis Malaysia is now at the highest rate in the world. 
• Congratulations. And thank you very, very much. 
• Please speed up the vaccinations even more. 
• See if you can hit 500,000 vaccinations per day. 

So going at this pace of say 400,000 vaccinations per day we can vaccinate 12 million people a month. In TWO more months we would have vaccinated 24 million people. Adding the 15 million already vaccinated that will be 39 million vaccinations. 

In my own estimation, we need about 75 million doses for double dosing not only our own 32 million population but also the (approx) FIVE MILLION foreigners who live amongst us.

Going at this pace we should be able to cover everyone in the next four months - I hope.  

And this is all already paid for - using taxpayers money. 

So which private hospital is going to take so much risk (business wise) to buy 14 million doses of vaccines and then charge the public money for the dosage when the public can get vaccinations for "free" at 400,000 shots per day throughout the country? 

And from August 1st any undocumented alien can walk-in to any vaccination center and get vaccinated as well.  (If that is correct - because ada juga flip flop pasal isu itu). 

Anyway here is a news report featuring Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz on this matter:

PETALING JAYA: Rafidah Aziz is demanding that the committee overseeing the vaccine supply explain the decision to allow the sale of 14 million Sinovac doses to states and private entities.

• The former international trade and industry minister said the people should not be made to pay for “what should be free”.
• “Is not vaccinating the population a healthcare service to the rakyat?” she said in a statement. 
• “Is not the vaccination of the entire population already budgeted for? 
• Was not the total requirements all calculated, and planned for, to be delivered free to the rakyat?”
• Rafidah went on to say that she found it “strange” that Putrajaya was treating the people differently as it had previously allocated funds to vaccinate the population.
• She also said not everyone could afford to vaccinate a family, especially those affected by the lockdowns.
• “Can the chairman of the vaccination committee please explain? 
• No one should make money from the vaccines!”

Rafidah said this in response to news that Pharmaniaga Bhd will sell the vaccine to interested states and private companies from this month till September.

The pharmaceutical giant was given the green light to do so by the Covid-19 vaccine supply access guarantee special committee (JKJAV).

In announcing it earlier this evening, deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the list of states and companies that had applied to purchase the vaccine would be referred to the committee for review.

My comments :

I have also received Tan Sri Rafidah's comments directly from her (thank you Tan Sri) and here they are:

What is happening to this Government. 

WHY is the Sinovac to be SOLD to "interested parties, States, private companies "  for onward sale to the people.   For a markup / profit ?

Is not the Vaccination of the entire population already Budgeted for ? 

With all the needed money ..including the 70 plus million Ringgit for the IT Infrastructure / System ?

WHY must some members of Society be made to PAY for what should be FREE?

Is not Vaccinating of the Population a Healthcare Service to the Rakyat ?

Was not the TOTAL requirement all calculated, and planned for, to be delivered Free to the Rakyat ?

It is a very strange situation that there is different treatment amongst the Rakyat  by the Government.

Not everyone can afford to Pay to  Vaccinate a Family, especially when those who are still unvaccinated,  are those most affected by the various incoherent Lockdowns !

Can the Chairman of the Vaccination Committee please Explain?

NO ONE  should make money from the Vaccines!

Rafidah Aziz.

My comments :

Indeed it does not make sense. Billions of Ringgit of taxpayers funds have already been allocated for the vaccination program. So why is there a need for "private sector" vaccination at a cost to be borne by the public?  The public has already paid for a sufficient dosage of vaccines by the Ministry of Health.

Ok here is a Bernama news report which explains WHY those 14 million doses of vaccines are being offered to the private sector.

SHAH ALAM – Pharmaniaga Bhd will sell 14 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine to interested states and private companies from this month to September, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the direct sale of the vaccine to interested parties has received the approval of the Covid-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Special Committee (JKJAV), and could further expedite efforts to achieve herd immunity earlier than scheduled.

“States are also interested in buying directly – for example, Selangor, which has long asked for vaccine to be sold directly to it – but the committee has its own programme schedule, and that is why we cannot give directly.”

Earlier, Ismail Sabri witnessed the handing over of the last batch of the Sinovac vaccine to Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba, who represented the government, from Pharmaniaga group managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Md Eusope.

Pharmaniaga has supplied 12 million doses of the Sinovac vaccine four and a half months ahead of the original contract schedule, and the government agreed to purchase another two million doses to cover Operation Surge Capacity on July 19, he added.

He said the list of states and companies that applied to purchase the vaccine will be referred to the committee for review.

“They can also make reservations directly with Pharmaniaga and will be referred to JKJAV as the names of the recipients may have been duplicated or already received the vaccine.”

“Maybe one of the conditions is to allow factories to reopen when more than 80% of their employees have completed two doses, and when we can sell the vaccine directly to these factories.

After that, I believe they (owners) can be allowed to apply for permission to reopen their factories.

“We believe that even though two doses have been given, the Health Ministry considers it still not completely safe. But at least two doses along with other conditions such as screening tests every two weeks and so on can help, but the matter is still being discussed.” – Bernama, July 21, 2021

My comments :

So Pharmaniaga has supplied 12 million doses four and a half months ahead of schedule. Terima kasih.  That is why we can hit 400,000 vaccinations a day. Thank you again.

But obviously they also have an extra 14 million doses which they now want to sell off. It is an obvious case of terlebih stock.

I do not really blame Pharmaniaga if they have bought more than what they need for now - considering all the confusion, flip flopping, knee jerk reactions by the Government in handling this pandemic. And I am sure more dosages of vaccines are still on their way to Pharmaniaga.  

My concern is this. Who paid for all those vaccines? Isnt it the taxpayer? To my understanding the Malaysian taxpayer has paid for the importation of all these vaccines. The Prime Minister said on 22 June 2021 that all the money allocated for the vaccines has already been spent.

So the Malaysian taxpayer has already paid for all the vaccines that are required. 

So  my question is who paid for those 14 million doses of Sinovac that are now being offered to the private hospitals?  

I strongly suspect that those 14 million doses of vaccines have also been paid for by the Malaysian taxpayer.  Can  Ismail Sabri can answer this question. Duit siapa bro?  

So if you are now offering those vaccines to the public, then you are actually making the Malaysian taxpayer pay twice.   This is very unfair on the Malaysian taxpayer.  

The news also says that these Sinovac vaccines will be offered to the factory owners - obviously to vaccinate their foreign workers. So lets make the factory owners and the foreign workers pay. 

And the Government has a big stick - if you do not vaccinate then you cannot open your factories. So the factories have no choice.

But at the same time from August 1st all the undocumented foreigners are allowed to walk in for vaccinations.

So the undocumented foreigners can walk in for free vaccinations. I agree. That is a good thing. Syabas and thank you again. We must stop the virus.

But isnt it unfair to force the factories (which create jobs, keep the economy growing, earn foreign currency and help strengthen the Ringgit) who have paid levies, taxes, duties, medical check up fees to import their foreign workers to now pay for the vaccination of their workers?

Yet at the same time the undocumented foreigners are welcome to walk in from August 1 and get vaccinated for free? 

Especially when all the required vaccines have been fully paid for - according to our Prime Minister. 

I can see that the factories can end up holding the short end of the stick. You want to open your factory you pay for the vaccines and vaccinate your workers.

"Maybe one of the conditions is to allow factories to reopen when more than 80% of their employees have completed two doses, and when we can sell the vaccine directly to these factories. After that, I believe they (owners) can be allowed to apply for permission to reopen their factories."

But who paid for the import of the vaccines?   If I paid (because i am also a taxpayer) do I get a share of the profits? 

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.