KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — The public-private partnership immunisation programme (Pikas) needs to prioritise critical industrial sectors facing high risk of Covid-19 infection and widen its coverage to encompass all 17 essential sectors, the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) said.

President Datuk Syed Hussain Syed Husman said companies with large workforce that live in centralised accommodation, such as those in the construction sector, must be given priority and included immediately.

“The living conditions and working environment of these industries are far more conducive to the spread of Covid-19 as the workers are working and living in close proximity.

“While we support the rollout of Pikas for certain manufacturers, priority must be given to those who need the vaccines now to avoid infection,” he said in a statement today.

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In addition, Syed Hussain said employers from other sectors of the economy were also eager to participate in Pikas, which would rollout its on-site vaccinations at designated factories and industrial locations beginning June 16.

Hence, Syed Hussain said speedy implementation of the Pikas is critical.

Presently, employees in the manufacturing sub-sectors, including electrical and electronics, food processing, iron and steel, medical devices, personal protective equipment, oil and gas, and rubber products, including medical glove manufacturing sub-sectors will be prioritised for vaccination under Pikas.

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“It is understood that the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) has thus far received applications from about 500 companies, with a total of 106,591 workers to voluntarily participate in Pikas.

“Based on the fee structure provided by Miti, the costs for vaccination to be borne by the employers is about RM45 per employee. This is reasonable and acceptable as the government would be bear the cost of the vaccines,” he noted.

Syed Hussain said employers must not be allowed to pass on the costs to the employees.

However, the MEF believes the government should consider giving tax rebate or tax exemption to companies on the costs incurred following their participation in the voluntary programme.

“The MEF had also applied to arrange for Pikas for our members and is awaiting approval from the Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply (JKJAV) 2021,” he added. — Bernama