“Money first, Selangorians second?” Do Selangor residents have to pay up for vaccines despite public funds having done so?

On 18 March 2021, Selangor Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari announced that the Selangor State Executive Council had approved an allocation of at least RM100 million for the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines for the state, adding that it will be opened for registration around the end of May or early June. However, it appears that despite the funds allocated for the purchase, the public still has to pay from their own pockets for the vaccine.

According to the official Selangor vaccination portal vax.selangkah.my, a 50% deposit is required to confirm a booking for an appointment, while the balance 50% must be paid at least 14 days before the vaccination date.

If public funds have already been used for the purchase of the vaccine, it is unreasonable that the people have to fork out their own cash to get the vaccines.

Besides that, how did the Selangor Pakatan government procure the vaccines? Is it through the federal government’s distribution or other means?

According to the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Khairy bin Jamaluddin, all procurement and distribution of vaccines will be handled by the federal government. While Pahang, Johor, Sarawak and Selangor have all expressed a desire to purchase more vaccines, MOSTI has yet to receive any official application from these states.

Hence, since Selangor did not submit an application to the federal government, and considering the shortage on vaccines, where did Selangor get its supply? If Selangor used their own channels, can they guarantee the safety and quality of the vaccines?

Therefore, I believe that an explanation is necessary of the Selangor MB, including the details of the vaccine, how the allocation was used, and why the public still has to pay.

In addition, if the vaccine is supplied and distributed by the federal government, wouldn’t charging extra for free vaccines be unethical? We hope that at such a time of crisis, especially for Selangor with its extremely high number of daily cases, the state government will not be money-minded and cruel, indirectly sidelining those who have financial problems with healthcare.

Dato’ Ng Chok Sin

MCA Selangor State Liaison Committee Chairman

-MCA online-