KUALA LUMPUR:The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has urged the government to maximise its access to a wider distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to the population through increased private General Practitioner (GP) participation.

Its president Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said this is to speed up the vaccination programme. 

"In its plans, the government should also prioritise locations with dense populations as they carry higher risk of COVID-19 transmissions. Many of the private GP clinics are located in these areas; therefore access will be quicker and more convenient for the population.

“Also, many of the patients managed by the private GPs have comorbidities which already qualify them to receive vaccines as per current plans in the national vaccination programme to prioritise vaccination of vulnerable groups," he said in a statement yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said increasing private GP clinic participation in the national vaccination programme would also help the government reduce overall traffic at government vaccination sites.

This will also cut down dependency on government manpower and resources in carrying out the programme as the GPs will be utilising their own staff, he said.

"The GPs also have the experience in coordinating mass programmes as many are currently involved in the mass COVID-19 screening of foreign workers and also the community where the clinics are located. These programmes are coordinated individually by the participating clinics," he said.

-- BERNAMA