Perak JKN intensifies Orang Asli vaccination outreach programme
IPOH: The Perak State Health Department (JKN) continues to intensify the vaccination outreach programme in collaboration with the Orang Asli Development Department (Jakao) to ensure that the Orang Asli community in the state are not left behind in the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (Pick).
Recently on Aug 7 over 60 Orang Asli settlers in Kampung Sungai Baduk here, received their Covid-19 vaccine shots through the Kinta district vaccination outreach programme.
The village Tok Batin (chief), Mat Uda, 57, said initially most of the villagers feared getting the vaccine but their attitude changed after seeing that he has remained healthy after his vacccination.
“When they saw my state of health following my first dose at Kampung Chadak on July 4 and second dose on July 25, most of them were keen to come to the vaccination programme here,“ he said when met by Bernama.
He said the outreach programme has made it easy for over 100 Orang Asli settlers as the village is located far in the interior and most of them have no means of transport to get to the vaccination centre. (PPV).
One of the oldest vaccine recipients, Ngah Long, 85, said despite suffering from high blood pressure and asthma, she still wanted to get the vaccine shot to increase her immunity as well as protect herself and her family.
“I am not afraid because it will be more frightening if we lose our lives due to Covid-19…I did not feel anything unusual after getting the jab,” said the mother of eight who came to the programme on a wheelchair, with her granddaughter Rokiah Uda Kassim, 44.
The senior citizen from the Temiar tribe also advised other Orang Asli to get vaccinated as quickly as possible to keep themselves and others around them safe and healthy.
Meanwhile, Kinta district health officer Dr Asmah Zainal Abidin said the village was the fourth location selected for the vaccination outreach programme for the Orang Asli community since it was first held last month.
She said a total of 200 doses has been allocated for each outreach programme in the Orang Asli villages because previously there were some locations that had received a large number of crowds, which demonstrates that the community members are keen to get vaccinated.
“The programme organised by Perak JKN and Jakoa as well as the Covid-19 Immunisation Task Force was run smoothly with the help of three vaccinators and it will continue to be implemented in other Orang Asli villages in the district,” she said.
Perak health deputy director (Public Health) Dr Ummi Kalthom Shamsudin, who was also present, said the department was targeting 80 per cent or 42,000 Orang Asli living in the peripheral areas of the state to receive the first dose of the vaccine by the end of August, if the supply was sufficient.
“Most of them want to get the Covid-19 vaccine, so we are taking proactive measures by bringing more supplies to their area,” she said adding that the department also do house visits to vaccinate the sick and bed-ridden.-Bernama