Names of 446k OKU submitted for vaccination - minister
Women, Family and Community Development Minister Rina Harun said today her ministry has submitted the names of 446,000 persons with disabilities, or orang kurang upaya (OKU), who are under the Department of Social Welfare to be registered for Covid-19 vaccination.
Rina said this was to boost registration numbers of OKUs, as currently only 195,395 are registered under MySejahtera, out of 557,352 who are under the department's care.
"That is why on our part we are working together with...
Women, Family, and Community Development Minister Rina Harun said today her ministry has submitted the names of 446,000 persons with disabilities, or orang kurang upaya (OKU), who are under the Department of Social Welfare to be registered for Covid-19 vaccination.
Rina said this was to boost registration numbers of OKUs, as currently only 195,395 are registered under MySejahtera, out of 557,352 who are under the department's care.
"That is why on our part we are working together with NGOs (non-governmental organisations) to expedite the registration process, and not only that, more importantly, to administer the vaccine to OKUs.
"This strategic partnership with the Health Ministry and the Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry will be continued to make sure that inoculation of vulnerable groups particularly OKUs can be carried out swiftly and efficiently," she said.
Rina (above, left) was speaking during a press conference at the Malaysian Association for the Blind (MAB) headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.
An aide to Rina later clarified the 446,000 OKUs represent those above the age of 18 and are eligible to be vaccinated under the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (NIP). The remaining 111,352 individuals are below 18.
The MAB headquarters is the first vaccination centre dedicated to OKUs and the minister said at least one more will be set up in the Klang Valley next week, followed by similar facilities in other states.
She said the ministry also requested for mobile vaccination units to target at least 500 special needs and old folks homes registered under the Welfare Department, as part of the common goal to help Malaysia achieve herd immunity.
Further, Rina said, her ministry will also be working with the private sector through the NGO OKU Sentral, which is led by Senator Ras Adiba Radzi, who was also present today, to set up drive-through Covid-19 vaccination facilities.
Mobile vaccination teams have already started at old folks homes, said the minister, adding that, so far, more than one million senior citizens have been vaccinated in the country via various vaccination programmes.
"So our current focus is on OKUs and we will discuss with the relevant authorities," said Rina.
She said there will be several alternatives offered to the OKUs to ensure that no one is left out of the ongoing NIP.
Rina and Ras Adiba were earlier taken through the OKU vaccination process at the MAB headquarters, carried out daily from 9am to 5pm, except on weekends.
Earlier today, Malaysiakini reported concerns from several activists that OKUs living in rural areas or with a limited internet connection could risk being left out of the vaccination exercise.
