KUALA LUMPUR: An association representing more than 1,700 old folks homes nationwide has expressed concern over inoculation delay involving the elderly, especially those at nursing homes.
The Malaysian Residential Aged Care Operators (MyAgeCOpe) said it was disappointed with the Health Ministry and authorities for not getting back to them on its offer to help speed up the vaccination process among the old folks at homes.
Its secretary-general Fong Muntoh said the association has at least 20 doctors who are ready to help the Health Ministry with the vaccination drive among senior citizens.
"We have 20 doctors in the association but apparently the Health Ministry does not want our help," he told the New Straits Times.
Fong said there were nearly 6,000 elderly residents at the association's nursing centres nationwide and about 3,000 staff who are among the high-risk group who have yet to be vaccinated.
"It seems like the government, KKM (health ministry) doesn't care. Or maybe Khairy (National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme Coordinating Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin) doesn't even know about these vulnerable elderly groups being neglected.
"Initially the government promised that senior citizens and the high-risk groups would be the second on the priority list to receive the vaccination after the frontliners, but to date, nothing has been done.
MyAgeCOpe has even volunteered to help with the vaccination exercise on the ground at nursing homes but that too has fallen on deaf ears," Fong said in a video that has since gone viral.
Later in a telephone interview, Fong, who is also Selangor and Kuala Lumpur MyAgeCOpe chairman, said that nursing home operators were struggling to keep their occupants safe, clean and healthy at all times, despite having a shortage of staff since the pandemic began.
"Many of these nursing home staff are mostly health professionals or nurses who used to work at the hospital. Recently when the government announced a re-recruitment drive for experienced nurses, many of them took up the offer and we are still doing our best to rough it out with the strength that's left. So, at least give us some consideration," he said.
Fong said due to the present pandemic situation, the staff at these homes had been encouraged to stay at the centres.
"We don't want them to get exposed to the virus outside and later infect those at the centres. We try to reward them in other possible ways for their sacrifices," he said, adding that visitors and family members have also been stopped from visiting their elders at some homes, as a precaution.
Fong said many senior occupants tend to become depressed when their loved ones don't stop by to visit them but they are left with no other option because of the risk the visitors may pose.
He said the association looked forward to a reply from the Health Ministry, as they were ready to help with the ground deployment at nursing homes.