BY UMIE SYAZWANIE MOHD
KUCHING: A suggestion for pharmacists to assist in the nationwide vaccine rollout as vaccine advocates is a better option than allowing them to be vaccinators , said a public health physician Dr Helmy Hazmi.
He said it could be one of the options if there was a need to increase the vaccination rate in a short time, shoring up the current shortage of doctors and nurses.
“The concept of allowing fellow community pharmacists to be advocates is both commendable and interesting,” he told New Sarawak Tribune on Saturday (Sept 25).
He was commenting on the suggestion by Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) president Amrahi Buang who called on the federal government to allow community pharmacists to give the booster Covid-19 shot.
Amrahi said with mega vaccination centres (PPVs) closed, this would ensure that the public could continue to have access to the vaccines.
Dr Helmy who is an associate professor at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) said community pharmacists were partners in the nation’s public health efforts throughout the pandemic.
However, he said a doctor must assess a patient’s fitness for vaccination before the jab is administered.
Nevertheless, he questioned the pharmacists’ ability to assess the patient’s fitness and later monitor the patient after the vaccination because if non-standard care is provided, there might be a medico-legal complication.
“I believe many community pharmacists are concentrated in urban areas, as in the case of Sarawak, which is already well served by both public and private health care,” he said.
He pointed out that before community pharmacists are allowed to vaccinate, proper credentials would be required.
He added, with the role given to this group, future pharmacy student trainings would need to be reviewed.
“This is to ensure that adequate quantity of related subject matter is taught with proper exposure, particularly in houseman training,” he said.
