KOTA KINABALU: The Federation of Chinese Associations Sabah (FCAS) has urged the federal Health Ministry to assist the Sabah state government to step up Covid-19 vaccination for those living in the interiors and borders of Sabah, illegal immigrants included.
This is so that Sabah could achieve herd immunity ahead of the schedule.
Its President, Tan Sri T.C Goh said with the ongoing vaccination programme in the urban areas of Sabah now progressing well and satisfactorily, the relevant authorities should start to ramp up vaccination in the interiors and borders of Sabah, the foreign workers and immigrants included.
Goh who is also a member of Sabah Economic Advisory Council (SEAC) cum President of the Federation of Sabah and Labuan Hokkien Associations (FSLHA) urged this while he welcomed the Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement of a series of new measures to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, during his visit to Sabah on Monday.
Goh hopes the federal government could strive to provide greater attention and necessary support to the state government, in the ongoing fight against Covid-19.
He especially insisted that the government should ramp up vaccination programmes in the interiors and borders of Sabah, so as to better prevent a potential breach and spread of the Covid-19 virus from these vulnerable areas.
He also hoped Khairy could ensure a speedy delivery of the much-needed medical supplies which include ICU beds, vaccines and medical manpower for Sabah, as announced on Monday. He said this is rather crucial in view of the worsening Covid-19 situation in Sabah, of late, where the number of daily positive cases has been hovering around 2,000 cases.
Stressing that the peoples’ lives matter most, Goh contended that by right the federal government should have taken necessary measures to address the pressing situation, much earlier, and not having to wait for the minister to visit Sabah.
Nonetheless, he commended Khairy for making an effort to visit Sabah personally to better understand and evaluate the situation on the ground, soon after he assumed his duty as the Minister of Health. He especially hoped Khairy could strive to boost Sabah’s healthcare facilities and manpower, so that the state could better fight the pandemic and to achieve herd immunity, as soon as possible.
He especially welcomed Khairy’s announcement that his ministry would send some 97 out of the 150 newly appointed contract doctors, 78 medical assistants from Selangor to Sabah, and 50 medical officers will be offered permanent positions.
Goh recognized that due to Sabah’s vast size posing a great logistics challenge, and the government’s imminent plan to start vaccinating those who are below 18 years old, it has become even more urgent for the federal government to step up efforts to improve Sabah’s medical system and its capacity.
Besides this, he also hoped the health minister could take serious note of the chief minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor’s recent revelation that Sabah still requires some 2.67 million doses of vaccines (excluding vaccines for the underage).
He hoped the Health Ministry could expedite the delivery of sufficient vaccine supply for Sabah, so as to prevent the recent humiliating episode of vaccine running out of stock, at the PPV at Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), from recurring.
