INFLUENZA VACCINE STOCKPILE SUFFICIENT UNTIL FEBRUARY 2026 - LUKANISMAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 (Bernama) -- The stock of influenza vaccines marketed in the country is expected to be sufficient until next February, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni

He said this is based on feedback received from the product registration holder (PRH) as of Oct 24.

The National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has also implemented the voluntary Reporting of Medicine Shortage and Discontinuation mechanism since Aug 1.

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"Checks via the Reporting system, as of Nov 18, found that no official complaints have been received regarding disruptions to the Influenza vaccine supply up to that date,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara today.

He was replying to a question from Senator Dr A. Lingeshwaran, who wanted to know the latest status of the influenza vaccine stockpile since there has been a spike in cases and demand for vaccines, with many states running out of stock.

Lukanisman said that as of Nov 10, the Ministry of Health (MOH) health facilities had a total of 4,044 doses of vaccine for health workers and 2,881 doses for the elderly.

There are seven influenza vaccines containing the inactivated influenza virus type A (H3N2) strains that have been registered in Malaysia, such as Vaxigrip Influenza Vaccine, Vaxigrip Tetra, Influvac Tetra, Influvac Suspension for Injection, as well as three SKYCellflu products in trivalent and quadrivalent forms, he said.

"Since early this year, Malaysia has imported a total of 2,609,235 doses. There were five deliveries totalling 429,130 doses that arrived on Nov 25 and Nov 30 and one arriving on Dec 9,” he said.

Replying to a supplementary question from Lingeshwaran on price controls for influenza vaccines in the private market, Lukanisman said the MOH is jointly working with the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) to ensure the vaccines are not sold at exorbitant prices.

Commenting on whether the government will consider an influenza vaccine subsidy programme to prevent congestion at health facilities, he said the ministry will consider the best method and see whether allocations under Budget 2026 can ease the burden on people who need vaccination.

Meanwhile, Lukanisman said the MOH is considering expanding the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme (HSOP), which has so far been implemented for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan services, which are medical imaging tests used to view the function of organs in the body, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI).

"We are thinking of using a similar approach to provide services for 'allied science’, for example, speech therapy, which requires a very long waiting period,” he said.

He said this when replying to a supplementary question from Lingeshwaran, who asked whether the government would consider HSOP, given a shortage of allied science scheme officers and the long wait for patients to get an appointment.

-- BERNAMA