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Unvaccinated civil servants in Malaysia may face disciplinary action or termination: Public Service Department

Unvaccinated civil servants in Malaysia may face disciplinary action or termination: Public Service Department
Malaysian federal government departments including the Prime Minister's Department, in Putrajaya.

KUALA LUMPUR: Civil servants in the Malaysian federal government departments could face disciplinary action or termination of service if they fail to complete the COVID-19 vaccination under a new immunisation policy which takes effect from Nov 1.

Bernama reported that a circular posted in the Public Service Department (PSD) website on Monday (Oct 18) said that civil servants could be instructed to complete their vaccination from that date.

The directive, which comes under the PSD’s COVID-19 Immunisation Implementation Policy for Federal Public Service Officers, warned that failure to comply with the policy might result in disciplinary action or termination of service.

"On or after Nov 1, 2021, any officer who fails to comply with the head of department's instructions may result in disciplinary action or termination of service," according to the circular signed by PSD director-general Mohd Khairul Adib Abd Rahman.

The PSD had earlier issued a statement on Sep 30 announcing that all federal civil servants were required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before Nov 1.

Almost 98 per cent of civil servants have been inoculated, it said, adding that 1.6 per cent or 16,902 people have yet to register to be vaccinated. 

In the latest circular, the PSD said that officers who could not complete the COVID-19 vaccine doses due to health factors could be instructed to undergo a medical check-up with a registered medical practitioner.

They might also be instructed by their heads of department to undergo a COVID-19 test if they have been confirmed unfit to receive the vaccination for health reasons.

"Officers are responsible for obtaining a complete COVID-19 immunisation as prescribed by the government. This is to ensure a safe work environment and (that) service delivery, as well as public service productivity, are at an optimal level," said the circular.

It also noted that heads of department could also at any time order officers who have not completed their COVID-19 vaccine doses to undergo a health examination to determine their health status, Bernama said. 

Latest figures provided by the Ministry of Health showed that as of Monday, 94 per cent of Malaysia’s adult population has completed two doses of COVID-19 vaccination.

The number of new daily cases in the country has been trending downwards since early October, entering the four-figure range on Oct 3 for the first time since July.

The country recorded 5,434 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, its lowest daily caseload since Jun 28. Another 5,745 cases were reported on Tuesday. 

HEED CALLS TO BE VACCINATED: STATE RULERS

Meanwhile, several state rulers have also voiced their support for the COVID-19 national immunisation programme.

In Shah Alam, Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah expressed his approval that a large number of people in the state have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

In a statement reported by the Star, Sultan Sharafuddin said that he was glad to learn that 85 per cent of people in Selangor have been fully vaccinated.

He made the remark after a briefing on the COVID-19 situation by Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin on Monday night.

They also discussed the anti-vaccine issue and the action being taken by the ministry to handle it.

In Kuala Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin called on the people of Terengganu to heed the government’s call to get vaccinated.

In his message, Sultan Mizan said that in line with the teachings of the Prophet, the people should avoid anything that could bring harm to themselves or others, according to the Star’s report.

“No plunging oneself towards harm or harm to others," Sultan Mizan was quoted as saying at the launch of the state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration held virtually on Monday night. Maulidur Rasul, which falls on Tuesday, is the commemoration of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. 

The pandemic had caused the loss of loved ones with children becoming orphans, added Sultan Mirzan.

It had also caused job losses and reduction in wages, forcing some to seek help, he said, as reported by the Star. 

Meanwhile, Kedah’s Sultan Sallehuddin Badlishah urged the people to continue to comply with the National Recovery Plan (NRP), including the national COVID-19 immunisation programme.

It was so that Kedah could transition to the next phase of NRP to ensure that it continues to prosper and its people live in harmony, he said during the online state-level Maulidur Rasul celebration, as reported by Bernama. 

Kedah has just entered phase three of the four-phase NRP on Monday. It is Malaysia’s COVID-19 exit strategy with daily cases, intensive care unit occupancy and vaccination rate as thresholds for the states to progress from one phase to another. 

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Source: Agencies/ih

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