JANUARY-FEBRUARY , 2022 | THE HEALTH
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| The Health says ... |
Ethics , profits and corruption
THE year 2022 began with a barrage of shocking news about malfeasance relating to the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme ’ s ( NIP ).
First , there were reports about the purchase of fake vaccination certificates by unvaccinated individuals . Then we heard that many unvaccinated individuals were allowed to travel abroad , and later it emerged that those on home quarantine were receiving visitors !
The most worrying of course is the discovery of fake vaccination certificates sold in Terengganu , Johor , Kedah and Selangor . So far , over 7,000 names have been identified as being fraudulently registered .
Anti-vaxxers , unsurprisingly , made up a sizeable portion of these dishonest individuals . Some were willing to pay up to RM3,000 to obtain a certificate without vaccinated . Don ’ t these people realise that they are not only breaking the law but putting at risk the health and safety of others ?
What is even worse is that private doctors were involved in this fake certificate scam . These are healthcare professionals who the government trusted to support and ensure the NIP ’ s success . But alas , they sacrificed ethics at the altar of profits .
The relevant authorities are continuing their investigations , and we hope this is not the tip of the iceberg where thousands of other fake certificates will be discovered .
The issue of MySejahtera systems being tampered with fake registrations also raises the question of whether the nation ’ s vaccination numbers reflect the reality of the NIP ’ s targets .
It undermines the government ’ s efforts to ensure that as many Malaysians as possible are vaccinated and protected against the virus , as well as risking the recognition of the validity of Malaysia ’ s vaccination certificate by other countries .
Then we had the shocking news that many unvaccinated individuals managed to slip through immigration and other stringent checks to travel abroad . Its perplexing why their MySejahtera apps were not checked or verified before they boarded the plane .
On top of it , many returnees also failed to abide by the government ’ s compulsory home quarantine rules by receiving visitors at home , thus increasing the risk of transmitting the virus .
There seems to be gross complacency by both the public and the relevant authorities . The government must demonstrate its seriousness by strictly enforcing the law and imposing harsher penalties on those who abuse the system .
It would be detrimental to the country if these issues were not addressed swiftly and decisively . We cannot afford another spike in Covid-19 cases that will inevitably overwhelm the nation ’ s healthcare system again .