Dr Noor Hisham goes to the ground to administer COVID-19 vaccine

KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to help ensure that the process of administering the COVID-19 vaccine continues to be extended to every citizen, Health director-general, Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, went to the ground today to serve as a vaccinator, with a mobile vaccination team.

During his working visit with Higher Education Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Noraini Ahmad, to the mobile vaccination programme pilot project around Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat in Johor, Dr Noor Hisham administered the vaccine to several individuals, including bedridden patients.

"A day with our mobile team providing vaccination service to those who are housebound and bedridden patients," he said in a post, and sharing a few photos of the visit, on his Facebook account.

The pilot project is a collaboration programme involving several stakeholders, namely, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM), institute of higher learning (IPT) vaccination centre (PPV), the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force (CITF) and the Johor health department.

Dr Noor Hisham said that the project, which commenced on June 14, was an initiative by an IPT to assist the government in increasing the coverage of COVID-19 vaccination under the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme.

"Through the project, the vaccination process is implemented via three delivery methods, namely, a satellite vaccination centre at the Batu Pahat Mara Junior Science College hall for healthy individuals and a centralised vaccine outreach service.

"Apart from that, house calls are also carried out for bedridden patients, the elderly or the disabled who do not have the physical ability or mental capacity to attend a PPV," he said.

He said that guidelines for the implementation of door-to-door vaccination were prepared by the Family Health Development Division of the Ministry of Health, to ensure the safety of vaccine recipients and that standard operating procedures (SOPs) were complied with.

For the elderly who are bedridden, weak, unwell or suffering from a terminal illness, he said that an assessment will be carried out by a medical officer before the patient is vaccinated.

-- BERNAMA