KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 9,159,151 million expired doses of Covid-19 vaccines from various brands were disposed of, resulting in losses amounting to RM185 million as of June 11, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the disposal involved several factors, including logistics and stock storage.
"Regarding the financial loss, I don't intend to criticise my predecessors, as they had no standard operating procedure (SOP), best practices, or benchmarks due to the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.
"Furthermore, the intense global competition for vaccines played a significant role," he said in a reply to Datuk Jalaluddin Alias (BN-Jelebu).
Jalaluddin inquired about the number of Covid-19 vaccines that had to be disposed of due to expiration and the estimated financial loss incurred by the government.
Dr Dzulkefly said since the Covid-19 immunisation programme began on Feb 24, 2021, the government received a total of 84.5 million doses of vaccines through procurement and donations.
Meanwhile, on the Adverse Events Following Immunisation (AEFI) linked to the Covid-19 vaccine, Dr Dzulkefly said the ministry received 26 reports per one million (people), which included hospitalisations or life-threatening situations.
"We acknowledge these concerns and maintain continuous monitoring through the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA). Each reported death undergoes forensic investigation to ascertain the cause of the serious incident, ensuring full accountability," he said.