Employers to bear vaccination charges - ProtectHealth

ProtectHealth, a company appointed by the Health Ministry as an implementer of the involvement of private medical practitioners in the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, said although employees received government-purchased vaccines, employers had to cover the cost of providing industrial vaccination centres (PPVs) and fees to private medical practitioners involved.

"Besides that, employers are not allowed to impose any charges on their employees, and employers are fully responsible for operating the PPV well.

"Therefore, ProtectHealth would like to deny the statement issued by the Malaysia Shopping Malls Association (PPK) and quoted by several newspapers that the company set a fee of RM50 for vaccination," it said in a statement, on Monday.

Recently, the PPK said workers are expected to pay a reduced charge of RM50 for on-site COVID-19 vaccinations after malls agreed to subsidise the costs of the exercise.

The association said malls shall largely subsidise these costs and be allowed to charge the workers merely RM20 per participant (RM10 per dose) while ProtectHealth will charge participants an additional RM30 per participant (RM15 to administer each dose), bringing the total charge per participant to RM50.

The PPK statement followed the announcement by the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi that more than 500,000 workers in the retail sector will receive the benefits of the implementation of the Economic Frontliners Vaccination Programme for the retail sector.

ProtectHealth stressed that the additional cost of operating the PPV or nominal commitment fee stated by the PPK previously was the association's own decision, in fact it was not determined and was not paid to the company.

It said all the ministries involved would be responsible to ensure that the charges imposed were kept to a minimum and did not mean making a profit and not burdening the industry involved in the programme.

After the employer obtains the approval of the COVID-19 Immunisation Task Force, ProtectHealth will manage the handling and vaccination at a cost of RM15 per vaccine dose through the involvement of private medical practitioners.

"The participation of sectors or companies (in the Economic Frontliners Vaccination Programme for the retail sector) is also optional and not mandatory," it said.

Therefore, employers and employees who do not participate in vaccination in this critical economic sector will still receive the COVID-19 vaccine for free under the mainstream phase of the National COVID-19 Vaccination Programme when it is their turn.