Malaysia government will be extending the National Immunisation Programme COVID-19 to all foreign nationals living in Malaysia which will begin by the end of February.
The vaccination will be given at no charge under the programme.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba and Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation Khairy Jamaluddin, who is the joint chairmen of the Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee Committee, said in a statement on 11th February that this was agreed at a Cabinet meeting on 10th February 2021.
All classes of non-citizens residing in Malaysia will be included though priorities will be given to Malaysian citizens first. Further details and vaccination schedules will be subsequently provided for foreign nationals.
The decision was taken after taking into account that an environment that is secure and free of COVID-19 in the world can only be accomplished if, during this pandemic, as many people as possible obtain free vaccination on humanitarian reasons.
It is in line with the ‘Protect Oneself, Protect All’ theme of the programme and the assumption that “no one is safe until everyone is safe,” the joint chairmen said.
According to them, the decision was also taken after having seen the large number of cases from clusters of foreign staff and the high cost of treating and quarantining patients with COVID-19 as a consequence.
In the declaration, they said, “Foreign workers are also part of the community and have contributed to the economy of the nation.”
They added that the decision also took into account that Malaysians living abroad were given the same treatment by certain countries.
