PUTRAJAYA: Improving communications and the information delivery system will be among the focal points of the Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) in its efforts to make the National Recovery Plan a success.

Its Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah said they include doubling the dissemination of information on COVID-19 vaccination, economic news on television broadcast stations and airing more programmes on COVID-19 and mental health.

In a virtual media conference here today, Saifuddin said all agencies under KKMM have been directed to ramp up COVID-19 vaccine registration efforts, especially in the rural areas.

"For example, the Information Department will be on the ground, especially in the rural areas to help the people register for the vaccine as some of them do not know how to use MySejahtera, so the department will help them register for it manually," he said.

The Information Department will also hand out brochures in these areas, he added.

Saifuddin said Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) radio stations, especially those located in the East Coast have also been asked to disseminate more information on the vaccination programme, this after reports of no shows at vaccination centres.

Saifuddin said the focus on providing more economic news is aimed at giving out a true and comprehensive picture of the country's economic situation.

"All television stations do air economic news reports but there may be viewers who are not aware there is such content being aired," he said, while adding that RTM's news bulletins have now repackaged their economic reports for this purpose.

On mental health programmes, he said supportive communication had been initiated in RTM's Selamat Pagi Malaysia programme which features psychiatrists as well as counsellors, adding that the same type of programmes would be aired by other television stations due to the encouraging response.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin unveiled the National Recovery Plan, which is believed capable of bringing life back to normal by the end of this year, including reconvening Parliament in September or October.

He said the plan, which is a strategy to transition out of the Covid-19 crisis, covers four phases and transitions of the Movement Control Order (MCO) phases in stages.

Saifuddin said the plan may take a long time but it was a realistic one, and every action or decision taken was to balance the health and survival aspects of the people.

He also said that the Malaysian Creative Industry Stimulus Package (PRISMA) will not be affected by the National Recovery Plan, and funds will continue to be channelled to industry players.

PRISMA was launched on Feb 5 with the aim of ensuring the sustainability of the country's creative industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

-- BERNAMA