Northport, Westports and iHeal Collaborate in COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Programme
- December 27, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NORTHPORT, WESTPORTS AND iHEAL COLLABORATE IN COVID-19 BOOSTER VACCINATION PROGRAMME
PORT KLANG, 27 December 2021 – COVID-19 has had significant impact on lives and livelihood across the globe. Malaysia has not been spared, with 2.7 million cases and more than 31,000 deaths attributed to COVID-19. The emergence of new Variants of Concern (“VOC”) such as Delta and Omicron, which are spreading more easily than the original virus, has further escalated the pressing need for preventive measures to be taken immediately to reduce the risk to public health.
To date, statistics from the Ministry of Health showed that 78.4 percent of the Malaysian population had been fully vaccinated and only 17 percent have received their booster dose.
Acting on the urgent need for the port community to be vaccinated with the booster dose, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (“Northport”), Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd (“Westports”) and iHEAL Medical Centre (“iHEAL”) have collaborated to jointly organise a COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Programme with the objective of enhancing the immunity of port employees and the Port Klang community against the COVID-19 virus.
The booster vaccination programme, which kicked-off on 17 December 2021, will be held for approximately two (2) months at Dewan Kelab Sukan Lembaga Pelabuhan Kelang in Port Klang. In this collaborative programme, Northport and Westports will fund the establishment of the vaccination centre or PPV (Pusat Pemberian Vaksin), while iHEAL, a heart and heart related hospital licensed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and appointed as a partner for the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme by Protecthealth Corporation Sdn Bhd, will be responsible to maintain clinical standards and administer the booster shots. The programme has the capacity to administer 2,000 booster shots per day.
The booster vaccination programme is also being extended to Port Klang local community as part of Northport’s and Westports’ corporate social responsibility initiative to allow the community to get their booster dose at no cost under the National Immunisation Programme. The programme is expected to benefit more than 60,000 port workers and the local community.
Commenting on the programme, Dato’ Azman Shah Mohd Yusof, Chief Executive Officer of Northport said, “Our record shows that the first two (2) doses of vaccine has helped to reduce the number of severe (category 4 and 5) COVID-19 cases among our employees and port users. However, data from other countries which started their vaccination programme earlier than Malaysia, are showing that COVID- 19 vaccines are losing their efficacy over a period of time. Therefore, Northport has invited Westports and iHEAL to collaborate and jointly organize the COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Programme. We would also like to thank Lembaga Pelabuhan Klang for allowing us to use their sports complex facility for this purpose. We believe that this programme will help the Government speed up the process of giving extra protection to the public against COVID-19, while at the same time help our local community to get their booster shots sooner, at a vaccination facility closer to their residence.”
Meanwhile, the Group Managing Director of Westports, Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam said, “It is crucial for the port workers to be fully vaccinated as the port sector is categorised under the essential services that continue to operate 24 hours 7 days a week to ensure that the national economy and the movement of goods are not interrupted. The emergence of new COVID-19 variants has pushed the need for port workers to be given additional protection against the virus. Therefore, together with Northport and iHEAL, we have collaborated to organize the COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Programme for the port workers as well as for the Port Klang community as part of our corporate social responsibility initiative.”
“We would like to thank Northport and Westports for working with iHEAL in this programme. As a health service provider, it is our desire to make sure that the COVID-19 vaccination is accessible to the majority of the public. Hence, the COVID- 19 Booster Vaccination Programme jointly organized with Northport and Westports at an off-site location such as Klang is a great avenue for us to ensure more people receive their booster dose, which in turn will prevent and reduce serious health issues caused by COVID-19,” said Dr. David Khoo Sin Keat, the Founder and Medical Director of iHEAL Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur.
Earlier in June this year, Northport, Westports and iHEAL were also involved in the first vaccination programme for the transportation sector, managed by Lembaga Pelabuhan Klang. The programme successfully administered 2-dose vaccination to more than 10,000 seafarers and port workers in Port Klang.
Photo caption : Dato’ Azman Shah Mohd Yusof, Chief Executive Officer of Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (left), Tiffany Khoo, Head of Strategy & Governance of iHEAL Health Sdn Bhd (center) and Datuk Ruben Emir Gnanalingam, Group Managing Director of Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd (right) at the Dewan Kelab Sukan Lembaga Pelabuhan Klang vaccination centre in Port Klang.
ABOUT NORTHPORT (MALAYSIA) BHD
Northport (Malaysia) Bhd (Northport) is one of the largest multi-purpose gateway ports of its kind in the national ports system. Northport is grouped under MMC Port Holdings Sdn Bhd (MMC Ports), Malaysia’s largest integrated logistics service provider. MMC Ports is a wholly- owned subsidiary of MMC Corporation Berhad, a leading utilities and infrastructure group with diversified businesses under four divisions, namely Ports and Logistics, Energy and Utilities, Engineering, and Industrial Development.
Northport offers dedicated facilities and services to handle a wide variety of cargoes ranging from containers to cars, break bulk cargoes as well as liquid and dry bulk cargoes of all types and shipment sizes.
With a historical tradition dating back more than 100 years, Northport plays an important role in the development of the Malaysian economy and the country’s burgeoning international trade.
Northport is the winner of Malaysia’s Best Seaport – Outstanding Performance Award presented by the Ministry of Transport Malaysia for two consecutive years, in conjunction with the Malaysia World Maritime Week 2016 and 2017.
Northport holds the distinction of being the first port in Malaysia to be awarded the ISO 45001:2018 and ISO 37001:2016 standards and the winner of the prestigious National Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) Award 2019 in the Business Services category.
Enquiries : Please log on to www.northport.com.myor call Azmi Anis, Head of Corporate Communications, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, 012-3207755 / +603-3169 8776.
ABOUT WESTPORTS MALAYSIA SDN BHD
Westports Malaysia Sdn Bhd (Westports) is one of the leading ports in the world that is supported by excellent staff’s productivity, state-of-the-art terminal equipment, and deep water draft of up to 17.5 metres and endowed with mangrove islands that act as a breakwater for the terminal. We are one of the preferred transshipment hub port for shipping lines in the region. Our container volume has grown exponentially over the past 27 years, and Westports is the leading terminal operator in Port Klang. Westports Malaysia is capable of handling almost 14 million twenty-foot equivalent units (“TEUs”) per annum with 5.8 kilometres of straight container quay and 66 ship-to-shore cranes. In 2020, Westports handled 10.5 million TEUs of containers and 10.9 million metric tonnes of bulk cargo.
Westports is a truly Malaysian Port with the Company’s workforce of more than 5,000 Malaysians. About one-third of our workforce is from Pulau Indah, the island where Westports Malaysia is situated. As the most prominent career opportunities creator on the island and our Corporate Social Responsibility focus for Pulau Indah, Westports has contributed significantly also to the social development of the local population in Pulau Indah.
Westports is a winner for the following recently:
- APEC Port Services Network Green Port 2020, as it recognises Port Klang, comprising of Westports and Northport, as one of the eight global green ports.
- Corporate Excellence in the Transport and Logistics category from Asia Pacific Enterprise Award 2021 Regional Edition (APEA), demonstrating sustainable growth, responsible leadership and operational excellence.
- The Sustainability Report 2020 by Westports Holdings Berhad has won The Hallbars Awards 2021 in the Ports Category. Westports is the only selected report representing Malaysia from among the other winning publications from 51 countries.
- MSOSH OSH Gold Class 2 Award Winner For 2021 (category of Logistics and Transportation Sectors which is equivalent to a Very Good OSH performance)
Enquiries : Please log on to https://www.westportsholdings.com/ or email us at pr@westports.com.my.
ABOUT iHEAL MEDICAL CENTRE
iHEAL is in the business of promoting, restoring and maintaining health. These aims are achieved through different companies collaborating on the various aspects of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary healthcare services.
iHEAL Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur is a one-stop boutique medical centre focusing on comprehensive health and heart health related services as well as stroke and cancer diagnostic services. It is uniquely located in a mall setting with the surrounding amenities of hotels, restaurants and retail outlets, making it an accessible medical facility for locals as well as health tourists.
With investment of over RM 30 Million in state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology, we are able to provide safer, faster and more accurate diagnosis for the detection and treatment of heart diseases, stroke and cancer.
Our team of qualified medical and paramedical personnel are supported by an array of sophisticated technology including the world’s fastest 640-Slice 4D CT Scanner that has the ability to capture the image of the heart with less radiation and in only 0.35 seconds.
Adopting Less Invasive Surgery, iHEAL Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur is home to a catherization lab and modern operating theatres to serve our centres of excellence in less invasive heart and lung surgery, metabolic & weight disorders, sleep apnoea, excessive sweating and surgical oncology.
Since its inception in 2010, iHEAL Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur has served over 80000 patients from 70 countries, and is a significant contributor to health tourism in Malaysia.
Enquiries : Please log on to www.ihealmedical.com or call Melissa Hsu from Group Strategy & Governance, tel: 019–505 0211.
