Why Malaysia’s Covid-19 vaccination exercise is in such a mess
Raja Petra Kamarudin
First of all, in the UK, you must turn up for your appointment at the precise time you are given and not a minute earlier. If you turn up early you will be made to stand outside. This is to avoid the mess that Selangor is facing.
Secondly, the NHS staff alone cannot manage the vaccination program. If they tried to do that, the mess in the UK would be as bad as in Selangor. That is why the NHS vaccination program is assisted by about one million volunteers. And the whole process takes less than an hour, sometimes just 30 minutes.
Malaysians, of course, would not bother to volunteer for anything and would argue that it is the government’s job since they pay taxes. British citizens also pay taxes — in fact, they pay far higher taxes than Malaysians have to pay.
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Different venue, same mess as crowds throng Stadium Titiwangsa for vaccine
(FMT) – Frustrated vaccine recipients took to social media to complain about the lack of organisation at the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Stadium Titiwangsa in Kuala Lumpur, today.
Based on accounts on Twitter, confusion reigned as recipients were left wondering where to begin queueing, with lines snaking around the stadium, which is located next to the Titiwangsa Lake Gardens.
The presence of children who accompanied their parents also meant there was a lack of sufficient space for physical distancing.
The events at Stadium Titiwangsa comes just two days after poor coordination and communication marred the vaccination process at the World Trade Centre Kuala Lumpur over the weekend, where 16,200 people were scheduled to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Stadium Titiwangsa is one of the venues used to administer the Pfizer or Sinovac vaccines for recipients under Phase Two of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme.
Phase Two involves the elderly and high-risk groups such as the disabled and patients suffering from chronic diseases.
Several Twitter users, including Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil, were also seen tagging the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply and its coordinating minister Khairy Jamaluddin to bring the matter to their attention.
One user, known as “Willie Yeoh”, questioned the lack of SOP enforcement, saying there were no volunteers around to guide recipients through the process.
“So many queues here, not sure which is which. Where are the volunteers?” he asked, adding that it took three hours to finally receive the vaccine.
Meanwhile, “J.K.Chahil” described the situation in Stadium Titiwangsa as “a mess right now”.
Another netizen, who goes by the username “catamy”, pointed out that senior citizens had to stand for hours in the long queue as no chairs were available for those waiting their turn.
“Some seniors had no choice, and even sat on the floor.
“We are still standing in the queue as of 12.28pm even though our vaccination slot was for 12pm. It is not right to let the seniors stand and wait for so long.”
The user hoped the situation could be improved by the time they are called for the second dose of the vaccine.
