In an ageing population with a high burden of vaccine-preventable diseases such as pneumococcal pneumonia, vaccines are equally as important in adults as they are in children.
Only 475,984 people under Phase Two of PICK have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, or 5% of the targeted 9.4 million high-risk individuals.
Malaysia reportedly has only 39 geriatricians in public and private health facilities, while Terengganu, Kelantan, and Perlis do not have even one geriatrician.
Amid medical inflation and expensive long-term care, informal and gig economy workers in Malaysia must prepare for age-related medical conditions with adequate retirement savings.