THE Government must maximise its effort in building public trust by ensuring each step of the vaccination process is clear, transparent, and easily understood by the public, says the Malaysian Health Coalition (MHC).
Nevertheless, the coalition welcomes the Government’s RM10 mil fund allocation to compensate those who experience severe side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine and an additional RM2 bil to the National COVID-19 Immunisation Plan.
“While it is highly unlikely that an individual would need to be hospitalised or experience long-term side effects as a result of the COVID-19 vaccine, the compensation fund will help bolster public confidence and trust,” MHC opined.
Alongside this fund, MHC urge the Government to regularly publish the adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) reports to dispel rumours and increase vaccine confidence.
“We must join countries like Norway and South Korea where adverse drug reactions are updated weekly in a publicly accessible online registry.”
The coalition believes that regular reporting of this data (AEFI reports) will help to enhance public understanding of the vaccine. In addition, the Government must encourage the people to report any adverse events, including updating MySejahtera as one reporting channel.
Besides that, MHC calls on all media agencies and public figures to do their part by ensuring that information surrounding COVID-19 vaccines are reported in responsible ways and to avoid sensationalist reporting on vaccines.
MTC added that elected officials, as one of the first groups of people to get vaccinated, also have a responsibility to educate their constituents on vaccine safety by encouraging more people to register for vaccination.
Furthermore, the coalition stressed that elected officials must lead by example and embody the motto of “Lindung Diri, Lindung Semua”.
“There must also be clarity on the eligibility for compensation as well as how the rakyat can apply for reimbursement should they require additional medical care post-vaccination,” the coalition remarked.
“The Government must include these details in their vaccine communications to demystify the vaccination process and combat hesitancy.” – March 25, 2021
