THE government incurred a loss of RM185 mil from over nine million doses of COVID-19 vaccines procured during the pandemic which expired as of June 2024.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the expired vaccines consists of about 10.8% of the country’s overall procured vaccine doses during the pandemic, which totaled 84.5 million doses as of Feb 2021.
“A total of 9,159,151 doses of various Covid-19 vaccines that were stored at Health Ministry facilities and storehouses were found to have expired as of June 11, 2024,” he told the Dewan Rakyat during the Ministers’ Question Time on Thursday (July 11).
“The losses include vaccines that expired due to logistical issues such as stock keeping, storage and others.”
The Kuala Selangor MP further stated that the heavy loss of vaccines was due to it being the first time the country’s healthcare system was tested by a widespread pandemic
“But now we know what standard operating procedures to apply and the best practices for any future pandemic if it happens,” he added.
He added that the disposal process is carried out according to asset and stock management procedures.
However, Dr Dzulkefly stressed that he had no intention of criticising his predecessors for the financial loss as they had no standard operating procedures (SOP), best practices or benchmarks due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.
“Furthermore, the intense global competition for vaccines played a significant role,” he said in a reply to Jelebu MP Datuk Jalaluddin Alias.
Jalaluddin had inquired about the number of COVID-19 vaccines that had to be disposed of due to expiration and the estimated financial loss incurred by the government.
Meanwhile, on the Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) linked to the COVID-19 vaccine, Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry received 26 reports per one million (people), which included hospitalisations or life-threatening situations.
“We acknowledge these concerns and maintain continuous monitoring through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
“Each reported death undergoes forensic investigation to ascertain the cause of the serious incident, ensuring full accountability,” he remarked. – July 11, 2024
