Cost overrun: 8.5 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines procured by the Health Ministry were expired as of June 1, 2023.
PETALING JAYA: A total 8.5 million Covid-19 vaccine doses worth RM505mil went to waste after expiring in June this year, says the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
The total projected vaccine requirement was 83.3 million doses, of which 72.8 million had been used, which was 88% of the projection, according to its report on the management of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The Health Ministry had procured vaccines based on its projections on the number of doses needed, but decreased demand for vaccinations, delays in receiving vaccines and excess vaccines donated to Malaysia by foreign countries had led to an oversupply, the PAC said.
It was also informed that the Health Ministry had taken measures to reduce wastage of Covid-19 vaccines including donating 1.89 million doses to foreign countries such as Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Other measures were increasing access to vaccination through institutions, social media promotions on booster doses, engagement sessions with community leaders, and briefing sessions with other government agencies.
“Although the expiration date was extended up to 18 months from the date the Covid-19 vaccine was produced, there were still 8.5 million vaccine doses worth RM505mil which expired as of June 1, 2023.
“Factors behind the excess vaccines were a low response to Covid-19 vaccination, particularly booster doses done on a voluntary basis, as well as the fear of vaccine side effects due to the spread of inaccurate information.
“Vaccines that were ordered also did not arrive according to schedule due to high global demand,” it added.
The PAC’s report on its investigations into expired vaccines, defective ventilators and excess personal protective equipment (PPE) under the Health Ministry was published on the Parliament website yesterday.
Besides vaccine wastage, the PAC also found that 850,000 units of PPE boot covers due to expire at the end of 2024 were at risk of being wasted if they remain unused.
“The total stock of boot covers as of June 9, 2023 is 2.23 million and the remaining stock is expected to last until the end of 2025 based on the current usage rate.
“However, there is a risk of an excess of 850,000 units of boot covers, which will expire at the end of 2024, worth RM927,000, if they are not used before the expiry date,” said its report.
The PAC also said there were 640,000 units of protective suits or coveralls in stock as of June 9, with the remaining stock expected to last until mid-2026 based on the current usage rate.
The cause of the significant excess of boot covers and protective suits had been due to the review of the guidelines for the use of PPE through a circular by the Health director-general on Feb 16, 2022.
The circular no longer recommended the use of protective suits as they did not provide additional protection compared with isolation gowns or liquid-resistant aprons.
There was also no recommendation for the use of boot covers for activities such as screening, prevention, control and treatment of the Covid-19 outbreak.
“These amendments were based on the latest scientific developments and findings of Covid-19 management by the World Health Organisation (WHO) through the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and also related studies,” the report stated.
The PAC said that the Health Ministry must ensure that the excess PPE is utilised before the expiry date.
It also said the government must play a role in ensuring the local industry is able to produce medical equipment and pharmaceuticals to avoid dependence on foreign countries in empowering the public healthcare system.
