KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Four retail associations have confirmed that on-site Covid-19 vaccination programmes at shopping centres will use vaccines purchased by the government and given to the private sector at no cost.
The Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPK), the Malaysia Retailers Association (MRA), the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), and the Bumiputra Retailers Organisation (BRO) said in a joint statement that shopping centres have agreed to subsidise the coronavirus vaccine rollout by only charging RM10 per dose — out of the RM100 to RM150 “real cost” — to set up vaccination sites (PPVs) in their facilities.
The associations also said RM15 per dose was meant to be paid to ProtectHealth Corporation — a Ministry of Health (MOH) owned company — for vaccination services by doctors or nurses. Hence, the total charge to vaccine recipients would be RM50 per person for two doses in the vaccination exercise involving an estimated 500,000 workers in the retail and shopping centre industry, or RM25 million.
However, the retailers noted CodeBlue’s June 1 report quoting ProtectHealth that denied collecting payments from shopping centres for their on-site Covid-19 vaccination programmes. The government-owned company manages and pays private medical practitioners for inoculation services in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).
“So assuming this is correct, then there will be no fees chargeable for the services of the doctors/nurses/medical officers sent by them to the PPVs at the malls,” the four retail associations said in a statement yesterday.
“We do acknowledge and confirm that throughout the planning, the vaccine will be given and delivered free by the government to the PPVs.
“On the other hand, there are so many reports of other privatisation schemes that charge between RM100 to RM190 per dose, ie RM200 to RM380 per course of two doses.”
The Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) has yet to formally announce the launch date of vaccine rollouts at on-site PPVs in shopping centres or workplaces, amid the second phase of PICK that targets high-risk individuals.
CITF also has yet to disclose the cost mechanism of coronavirus vaccination programmes for “economic frontliners” that use vaccines supplied from the government and paid for by Malaysian taxpayers.
