Not all government clinics in the Klang Valley are ready to accept patients for Covid-19 vaccination or booster shots.
The Health Ministry's announcement on Monday stated that the public could walk-in for booster shots without prior appointments.
Checks by the New Straits Times yesterday at several government health clinics in the Klang Valley found that not many had Covid-19 boosters on their premises.
However, Covid-19 boosters were available at Klinik Kesihatan Jinjang. It is learned that Klinik Kesihatan Jinjang has a walk-in vaccination session available every Thursday and that its medical officers had ensured that there were sufficient Covid-19 vaccine supplies at its clinic.
Klinik Kesihatan Batu Muda and Segambut said there were no vaccination initiatives at the facilities and they had yet to receive any directive from the ministry.
Klinik Kesihatan Jalan Perak in Penang said Sinovac vaccines were available at the centre for booster jabs. However, the overall vaccination participation at the centre was relatively low.
The officer said those who wished to get the vaccination would have to first consult the doctor before getting the jab. Medical personnel at Klinik Kesihatan Seksyen 19 in Seri Kembangan and Bandar Tun Razak said Covid-19 booster shots were not available.
Medical officers at Klinik Kesihatan Seri Kembangan said there was no stock of the Covid-19 vaccine, adding that an appointment could be made next year.
Klinik Kesihatan Seksyen 19's medical officer said the government clinic had not been offering Covid-19 booster vaccination and requested that people book a slot via the MySejahtera app instead while they awaited updates from the ministry.
Some have tried booking slots for booster dose vaccination via MySejahtera, but checks revealed that Klinik Kesihatan Seksyen 19 was not listed on the application.
NST also found out that Klinik Kesihatan Rawang, Kelana Jaya, Ampangan and Hulu Kelang had slots available for Sinovac boosters.
The list of clinics on MySejahtera does not seem to be up to date, as many private clinics and hospitals said that they were no longer part of the vaccination programme for some time now.
A MySejahtera user, who wished to remain anonymous, said it was a hassle trying to find health clinics that offered Covid-19 vaccination.
"I combed through the numerous clinics and Klinik Kesihatan listed on the MySejahtera app to get the booster shot, but no slots were available. After an arduous process, I finally managed to book my booster appointment."
A medical doctor, who runs a private clinic in Sitiawan, Perak, told NST that his clinic still offered Covid-19 vaccinations.
However, given the subdued demand, the doctor, who wanted to be known only as Dr Goh, said he had no intention of seeking more vaccine allocations from the government.
"The uptake for boosters is very depressing. The vaccines are left to expire and discarded. This is such a waste of the government's resources."
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh conveyed the readiness of private hospitals to contribute to Covid-19 vaccination efforts for the public.
"It all depends on the direction of policy by the government and whether it is willing to allow private hospitals to buy some vaccines and offer them to patients who do not mind purchasing them at their own cost.
"Also, if the government gives the vaccine for free, the private hospitals can work out a plan for it just like in 2021, when we were involved in the vaccination programme as vaccination centres."
Kuljit said there had been no communication between the association and the government so far, "but we are more than happy to collaborate".
He said there were inquiries from patients if he knew which government clinics or hospitals offered the Covid-19 booster vaccines.
"They (Health Ministry) would need to update the list (of health clinics offering vaccination) on MySejahtera so that people do not run around looking for one clinic to another, especially for the vulnerable group."
NST has contacted the Health Ministry and its minister regarding the Covid-19 booster situation in the country.
It has yet to release an official statement on the matter.