Permanent Secretary of Sabah’s Ministry of Finance Rusdin Riman (second left) exchanges documents with Kuah (second right) duringb the MOU between Kanger and the state government of Sabah on Thursday.
KUCHING: Bursa Malaysia’s ACE Market-listed Kanger International Bhd (Kanger) on Thursday entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of the Sabah for a collaboration to procure and import Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines into Malaysia, namely the state of Sabah.
Under the MOU, Kanger will source the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines from abroad to be supplied to the government of Sabah, while the government of Sabah appoints Kanger as the exclusive distributor of the Sinopharm vaccines in the state of Sabah, subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities in Malaysia.
Kanger executive director, Steven Kuah Choon Ching said, “We are honoured that the Sabah State Government has put its trust in Kanger to make available the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines for the people of Sabah.
“As the nation strives to achieve herd immunity against Covid-19, we believe that collaborations between the public and private sectors can help to accelerate the vaccine roll-out in the country.
“With Sabah being the second state in Malaysia with the highest number of cases with over 60,000 cases to date, it is our aim that this partnership will strengthen the Government of Sabah’s efforts in combating the Covid-19 outbreak in Sabah.”
At the moment, the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines are in the process of obtaining the necessary approvals, including from the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA).
He added, “We will ensure that we obtain the required approvals from relevant authorities before we commence distribution of the Sinopharm vaccines. Once approvals are obtained, the people of Sabah will be one of the early recipients of the Sinopharm vaccines.”
“In addition to Sabah, we will also be exploring opportunities to extend the distribution of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines to include all other states throughout Malaysia.”
The Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine has been approved by the World Health Organization (“WHO”) for emergency use and is currently being administered in 42 countries, including, among others, China, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco, with more than 200 million doses supplied globally so far. It is proven to have an efficacy of 79% for people aged 18 years old and above.
“In conclusion, we are proud to play a part and support the state of Sabah in its fight against Covid-19 pandemic. We hope that this will be the first of more fruitful ventures with the Government of Sabah.”
This MOU is valid for a period of 3 years from the date of signing and shall pave the way for a definitive agreement to be signed between both parties for the supply of Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccines in Sabah.