SIMANGGANG, June 14: The services of more doctors and nurses as well as non-medical staff will be engaged to speed up Sarawak’s Covid-19 immunisation programme by administering 60,000 doses each day.
Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas said today a committee had been formed to look at the numbers required in all divisions.
He said among others, the government would source manpower from the medical faculties of Universiti Sarawak Malaysia (Unimas) and Segi College Sarawak as well as a nursing home.
He said with the required manpower, Sarawak could give out around 60,000 doses each day.
“Deputy State Secretary Datu Dr Sabariah Putit is handling this. We need these extra manpower to upgrade our overall vaccination capacity as we hope to complete our immunisation programme by this August,” said Uggah at a media conference after visiting the Sri Aman Civic Centre Vaccination Centre here today.
Meanwhile, Uggah who is also Deputy Chief Minister, said Sarawak only allows “walk in and get your jab” approach in its interior areas where the longhouse and village folks will register themselves after being vaccinated.
The medical department will be entrusted with the responsibility of advising villagers from neighbouring longhouses to converge at a strategic health centre or school for them to be vaccinated.
“However, we cannot allow this approach in towns and urban areas as it will invite mad scramble for the vaccination. In cities and towns, we still require the people to register themselves through the MySejahtera apps,” said Uggah, adding that Sarawak has been allowed to use the hybrid system where registration may be done through MySejahtera and manual registrations.
“Sarawak is almost as big as the whole of Peninsular Malaysia. It is a very big challenge to vaccinate some two million qualified Sarawakians who are scattered all over.
“Many places are in its deep interiors. But so far the State has been doing very well as it is among the top states in its vaccination programme,” said Uggah.
Accompanied by the Assistant Minister of Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Francis Harden, Uggah who is also Deputy Chief Minister was later briefed on Sri Aman Covid-19 Vaccination Programme rollout plan by the divisional health officer Dr Euphrasia Bari. — DayakDaily
