SERDANG, Feb 11 — The one-off payment of RM500 to 140,000 healthcare frontliners, will start being paid on March 1, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba.

He said eligible staff can start applying for the payment claim beginning this month.

"This one-off assistance is in addition to the Covid-19 special allowance of RM600 per month for frontliners, which has been paid since March last year.

"This assistance is for frontline staff directly involved in handling duties related to Covid-19,” he said after visiting University Putra Malaysia (UPM) Teaching Hospital, here today.

Also present were Health Ministry (MOH) secretary-general Datuk Mohd Shafiq Abdullah and deputy vice-chancellor (Industry and Community Network) UPM Teaching Hospital Prof Ir Dr B. T. Hang Tuah Baharudin.

Dr Adham said the MOH secretary-general would issue a circular, to explain the implementation of the one-off payment.

"It is hoped that this provision, can motivate the MOH’s frontline staff to continue the struggle against the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

On January 18, during the special announcement of the "Perlindungan Ekonomi dan Rakyat Malaysia” (Protection of the Economy and People of Malaysia) (Permai) assistance package, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin announced a one-off payment of RM500 to MOH staff, to be paid in the first quarter of the year.

Meanwhile, Dr Adham said, UPM Teaching Hospital is an institution under the Higher Education Ministry which has been selected as one of the Covid-19 vaccination centres for the Covid-19 immunisation programme, which will begin on February 26.

Dr Adham said each Covid-19 vaccination centre selected should make preparations according to the set standards.

Seven staff members comprising medical officers and nurses, would be stationed at each vaccine injection facility, and it is expected that every day 210 recipients of the vaccine will be injected, he added. — Bernama