PETALING JAYA: A doctors’ group has demanded to know why the government has reversed its decision to allow the participation of general practitioners (GPs) under the national Covid-19 immunisation programme in the Klang Valley.
Dr Steven Chow, president of the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Associations, Malaysia (FPMPAM) claimed that GPs were no longer allowed to give the first vaccine dose.
He added that this has caused a lot of inconvenience to patients, especially senior citizens, as they now had to travel to bigger vaccination centres (PPVs) and endure the inconvenience of uncertain waiting times as well as the risk of infection.
“FPMPAM has received reports that patients from Shah Alam were being sent to Dengkil and some from Puchong to Shah Alam. All this could have been solved with GPs carrying out the vaccinations.
“Doctors who have spent time, money and resources to offer their services are now left in the lurch again. They also have to answer to irate patients for this disruption,” he said in a statement today.
Chow also called for ProtectHealth Corporation, which is in charge of facilitating GP-based vaccinations, to explain why patients are sent to PPV centres where the cost is RM30 per person while GPs only charge RM14 per dose, which was more cost-effective.
In March, it was reported that the government had agreed to rope in GPs to administer Covid-19 vaccines in phase two and three of the national immunisation programme.
Health minister Dr Adham Baba said ProtectHealth had been incorporated under the health ministry as a non-profit organisation in 2016 and had experience in dealing with GPs under the Peduli Kesihatan B40 scheme.
ProtectHealth was to be in charge of registering GPs for the vaccination programme, managing payments, conducting training, producing manuals and monitoring the private doctors as they vaccinate the people.
FMT has reached out to ProtectHealth for comment. - FMT
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