KUCHING: Sending the Army Combat Medic Vaccination Team to inoculate the rural folks deep in the remote areas of Sarawak is a good idea to speed up the Covid-19 inoculation programme.
In pointing this out, Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau said doing so would create herd immunity among the rural folk.
“I suggest the army medic team go from village to village, longhouse to longhouse in the very rural parts of Sarawak, particularly in the Telang Usan Constituency,” he said when contacted by New Sarawak Tribune on Sunday (June 20).
He added that the move would also ease the burden of the people. They would not have to go far to the clinics or vaccination centres for their jabs.
Dennis was commenting on the Combat Medic Vaccination Team programme concept proposed by the Senior Minister of Defense Datuk Seri Ismail Yaakob during his visit to Kuching on Saturday (June 19).
“With the help of the army, it will not be necessary to bring the vaccines to the rural vaccination centres.
“The army can use its trucks to help transport the rural people to the centres at the health clinics from their homes and back again,” he said.
He added the vaccines could be transported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its own four-wheel-drive vehicles.
“If there are mobile teams going to villages, especially deep in the rural areas, it will be very good and make it easier for the people.
Dennis hoped the state government could consider sending mobile teams to Telang Usan as the health clinics in Long San and Long Bedian had completed the vaccination process there.
“There are longhouses deep in to the jungle further from the vaccination centres, like Long Tebangan, Long Tap, Long Liwok, Long Bangan, Bak Bakan, Bak Abang and other remote places too.
“Of course, if the minister can consider sending the Army Combat Medic Vaccination Team to the Baram area, that will be good,” he added.
“Transportation is the difficult challenge, but with mobile teams and the army’s help to administer the vaccines, this will complement what the MOH is doing at the rural vaccination centres,” added Dennis.
