KUALA LUMPUR: A decision on whether immunisation vaccination will be made compulsory in Malaysia will be announced soon, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
He said the steering committee has almost completed its study on the proposal and will present the findings to the ministry.
"InsyaAllah, soon. The findings will then be discussed at a pre-Cabinet meeting, before we raise the matter to Cabinet.
"After that, we will announce (the decision)," he told reporters after the launch of Etiqa's Free Mammogram Programme (Phase 3) at the National Cancer Society Malaysia (NCSM), here.
Present were NCSM president Dr Saunthari Somasundaram, Maybank Ageas Holdings Bhd chairman Datuk R. Karunakaran, and Etiqa chief banca officer Siti Nita Zuhra Mohd Nazri.
The steering committee had sought views from various parties, including government agencies, the private sector and non-governmental agencies (NGOs) in conducting its study of the proposal.
It is currently not compulsory for Malaysian children to be vaccinated before admission to school; and it is up to each school to conduct further examination or verification of each student’s immunisation status.
Many countries have laws and policies to ensure that vaccination is mandatory to protect children from life-threatening diseases.
In Australia, it was reported that parents who refuse to vaccinate their children will lose A$28 (RM79) from their tax benefits for each unvaccinated child under the country’s ‘No Jab, No Pay’ policy.
In the United States, all 50 states require children to be vaccinated before they attend school, but the types of vaccines required vary from state to state.