Dayang Annah Datu Asibih, 77, who received her first vaccine dose flanked by her daughter, Satra Ahmad, Mohamad Faizal (second left), Dr Ajaz (left) and Dr Lim (third left).
KOTA KINABALU: KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital is now also serving as one of the Vaccines Administration Centre in Sabah under the National Covid-19 Immunisation programme.
KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital general manager Mohamad Faizal Mohamed said that KPJ Sabah’s participation in the programme augurs well in response to the Sabah government plans to get 268,000 people vaccinated under the second phase of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme which focuses on senior citizens and the high risk group with comorbidities and the disabled.
“We are ready to support the government in increasing the Covid-19 vaccination rate in order to achieve herd community, especially in Sabah,” said Mohamad Faizal.
KPJ Sabah is among the few private hospitals in Sabah given the permission to administer vaccinations to the public.
As for now, KPJ Sabah quota is 100 doses of vaccines daily and the programme is being held during weekdays from 9 am until 4 pm, he said.
“The list of vaccine recipients is obtained from the Health Ministry who had registered through the MySejahtera, and the hospital helped to remind the public of their appointments,” he said.
On the first day of vaccinations, KPJ Sabah saw the majority of the vaccine recipients were from the age group between 80 and 85 years old.
“Initially, only a handful came in the morning, but the crowd increased as the day progressed. The hospital staff were on hand at every station of the vaccination setup,” he said.
He also said that all appointments and vaccinations were based on MySejahtera platform and vaccination appointments were notified through MySejahtera.
“No walk-ins without appointments were allowed,” he said.
He also said that the vaccinations administered at KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital were given free of charge to the recipients.
Mohamad Faizal added that there were over 30 people who did not come for their appointment on the first day of the programme at the hospital.
However, they were able to find other recipients for the vaccines from the MySejahtera application to replace those who did not come, he said.
Also present to welcome members of the media and the recipients of the vaccination were medical directors of KPJ Sabah Specialist Centre, Professor Datuk Dr Ajaz Ahmad Nabijan and Dr Lim Keok Tang.