Faez (right) showing the freezer, which will store the vaccines, to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Four-Wheel Drive Association has gone the ‘extra mile’ in assisting the State Government in its mission to vaccinate Sabahans living in rural areas.
The association, known for its powerful off-road vehicles, has volunteered to send the state’s health workers to the remote areas of Sabah for the Covid-19 vaccination and outreach programmes.
Its president, Faez Nordin, said that although most of the districts in Sabah are equipped with its own health centres, there are still a lot of Sabahans who live in far-flung areas who have difficulty in travelling to their nearest health centre due to road conditions.
“Just last Saturday, we delivered 190 vaccines to the people in Nabawan. After three weeks, we will go back there to deliver the second dose,” he said.
Faez said that the association has a total of 2,000 members all over Sabah. The members in each district would work with their respective health offices.
This means that none of the members would have to travel out of their district.
“However, to kick start the programme, our team from Kota Kinabalu has been tasked to send the vaccines in Nabawan. A total of four villages were involved.
“It took us three hours to reach the villages from Nabawan town,” said Faez.
He added that the association could be heading to Long Pasia and Pensiangan for their next trip.
“We are just waiting for the instructions from the Health Ministry,” he said.
It is understood that the association will cover the fuel costs themselves.
Faez added that they will be delivering the Sinovac vaccines, which they will store in a freezer that could reach as low as -20 degrees Celsius.
The freezer is powered by the car’s battery and can run for hours.