KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of Teaching Profession (NUTP) welcomes the move to make it compulsory for pre-schoolers to be vaccinated as a condition for enrolment.
The announcement by the Health Ministry is “good news”, said NUTP president Kamarozaman Abdul Razak, who added that it is a step towards ensuring that future generations are protected from deadly diseases.
He said teachers are ready to support the initiative and will act as a medium to relay information on the measure to parents.
Anticipating that some parents may feel forced to have their children vaccinated, Kamarozaman said that officials from the Health Ministry and health experts should come down to the ground and provide explanations on the importance of vaccination and clarify the myths used by those against it.
“We hope Health Ministry officers could … talk to (parents) directly, in villages, cities, and come to the schools too.
“Parents can come to the schools and listen to the talks… The teachers are always ready to assist further.
“Teachers can campaign on this… Educate students on its importance so that those with younger siblings understand the importance too,” he told the New Straits Times today.
Health Minister Datuk S. Subramaniam today said the ministry is mulling the move to emulate Australia, which adopted the firm approach as a way of preventing the spread of contagious diseases among children in the country.
"The issue has been discussed at the ministry level with relevant agencies, although our stand now is still education and counselling on the need to vaccinate children," he said, responding to a question from Dr Izani Husin (Pas-Pengkalan Chepa) in Dewan Rakyat today.
Dr Izani had asked whether the government will take a stronger stand to make vaccinations compulsory by taking legal action against parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated.