PIKAS to Accelerate COVID-19 Immunisation

The Special Committee on COVID-19 Vaccine Supply Access Guarantee (JKJAV) co-chaired by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) and Ministry of Health (MOH) has agreed that the Program Imunisasi Industri COVID-19 Kerjasama Awam-Swasta (PIKAS) will be launched as Phase 4 of the National COVID-19 Immunisation Program (PICK) to expedite the attainment of herd immunity among the community.

PIKAS is a public-private partnership immunisation program aimed at employees of which MITI has been tasked to coordinate the immunisation for employees in the manufacturing sector. PIKAS is initiated in response to calls from industry associations, business chambers of commerce and Small and Medium Enterprises to help the Government accelerate the immunisation for the Rakyat. Several other ministries will also be responsible for the vaccination of employees in their respective sectors. Participation of companies and employees in PIKAS is voluntary.

The Malaysian Trades Union Congress and other trade unions have expressed their support for the PIKAS programme and welcome its implementation to ensure workers’ safety. Nevertheless, they have also expressed concerns about the implementation of PIKAS by industry players, particularly on costs associated with vaccinating workers.

At a video conference with trade union representatives recently, Senior Minister and Minister of International Trade and Industry, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin assured that workers who participate in the programme would not be burdened with additional costs. He reiterated that the vaccines are free and that the employers will bear the administrative cost of the vaccination and would not be allowed to deduct from employees’ salaries. 

Implementation of PIKAS began on 16 June 2021 with on-site vaccination at designated factories and industrial locations. Apart from Selangor, vaccination for the manufacturing sector has been initiated in Penang and Johor simultaneously, focusing on critical manufacturing sub-sectors. 

Companies in these sectors including electrical and electronics, food processing, iron and steel, medical devices, personal protective equipment (PPE), oil and gas and rubber products including medical glove manufacturing sub-sectors are prioritised for vaccination. These sectors are critical in supporting the supply chain of essential products and services as well as the construction, maintenance and smooth functioning of critical infrastructures including utilities and public healthcare systems. 

YB Senior Minister visited the Vaccination Administration Centre (PPV) at Setia City Convention Centre (SCCC) which has begun the vaccination process for manufacturing workers in Selangor, recently.

PPV PIKAS at SCCC is one of the 8 Common PPV PIKAS nationwide that have been approved to begin operations latest by 5 July 2021. There are two types of PPV under PIKAS - Common PPV and On-Site PPV. The former is the use of convention and exhibition centres as well as hotels as a PPV while the latter refers to PPV established on-site by a company at the factory’s premise. 

The site visit today by the YB Senior Minister was to observe the vaccination process at the PPV PIKAS in SCCC and to ensure the process remains smooth.

Thus far, more than 4,537 companies with a total of 669,846 workers across Malaysia have registered with PIKAS.

While the vaccination for the most vulnerable groups remains a priority for the Government under PICK and will not be compromised, the implementation of PIKAS is imperative to protect workers against the risk of infection and reduce the number of workplace clusters as well as stop the transmission of infection among workers. PIKAS aims to support the acceleration of vaccination for approximately two million workers in the manufacturing sector by the end of the third quarter of the year.

YB Senior Minister also said that the Government will ramp up vaccination in June, July and August with the target of reaching herd immunity according to the exit strategy as outlined in the National Recovery Plan announced yesterday by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin. The YB Senior Minister also urged employers to encourage their workers to participate in the PIKAS programme.

Manufacturers keen to participate in PIKAS can get more info on the program via www.miti.gov.my.