KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 8 — KUALA LUMPUR, Mar 8 — General practitioners (GPs) in the private healthcare sector will be involved in administering Covid-19 vaccination shots from the second phase onwards to boost the government’s coverage of the national immunisation programme. 

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Adham Baba said the private GPs would be administering the vaccines to recipients under phase two and phase three of the vaccination programme.

He added that they will be managed by Protect Health Sdn Bhd, an incorporated entity formed under the Ministry of Health. 

"In today’s Special Committee for Ensuring Access to Covid-19 Vaccine Supply meeting, we decided to involve private health practitioners, or general practitioners to maximise and broaden the access of the vaccines to the rakyat. 

"GPs interested to be part of the national immunisation programme for phase two and phase three can register their interest with Protect Health starting today,” he told reporters during a video conference this afternoon. 

The minister added that GPs who are interested can apply to be part of the programme through Protect Health’s website, protecthealth.com.my. 

Dr Adham added that phase two of the programme is set to begin next month, and phase three affecting the rest of the general population in May. 

He also said the appointment of Protect Health as project managers was based on the company’s past experience and capabilities which made it the right fit for the job. 

"Protect Health is a non-profit entity that was incorporated under the MOH since 2016,” he said.

He said the company’s job scope under the Covid-19 national immunisation programme covers registering private sector GPs, managing the payments, and handling training by way of providing manuals and monitoring all vaccination administered by the private doctors.

The private healthcare sector had made repeated calls to the government to include it to speed up the inoculation process.