KUALA LUMPUR – The irresponsible act of a doctor from a private clinic who issued 1,900 fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates has been exposed.
The 51 years-old suspect was arrested by the Terengganu Police Contingent with the cooperation from the Terengganu State Health Department during a raid in Marang last Saturday.
The Terengganu Police Chief, Deputy Commissioner Datuk Rohaimi Md. Isa said that the suspect’s clinic was raided after receiving public complaints on its unethical practice.
Early police investigation found that 1,900 individuals have dealt with the suspect to get their vaccination and the police are still conducting thorough investigation to determine the actual number of individuals who have got their fake vaccination certificates without taking two doses of vaccine.
“The police were told that each individual who wished to get the fake Covid-19 vaccination certificate had to pay between RM400 to RM600 compared to the RM300 actual injection.
“The police also believed that some people travelled from outside (beyond Terengganu) to get the fake certs,” he said during a news conference today.
He added, police investigation also revealed that most of his clients dealt with the suspect online to get the fake certifications.
All fake certifications would then be posted to the clients by the suspect.
“The police were also told that some people were willing to travel far from the north in Kedah and also Kuala Lumpur after getting the information that the doctor was willing to issue certification without giving the vaccine shots,” he said.
Therefore, Rohaimi said that his team is accessing the email and the personal data stored in the suspect’s laptop that was seized from his clinic to obtain information about his clients and the fake certifications he sold online.
He said, the doctor was believed to have been selling the fake certifications by himself in his treatment room without any assistance from his staff.
The suspect was also suspected to use agents as middlemen and paid RM50 in commission to promote his fake Covid-10 vaccination certification service.
The suspect is currently detained for further investigation under Section 420 of the Penal Code for cheating.
According to Rohaimi, the action of the accredited doctor was not merely a serious crime but it could also lead to health disaster and greater danger of the global community.
During the news conference, the Terengganu State Health Director, Datuk Dr Kasemani Embong said that the private clinic was approved by the Terengganu State Health Department to administer paid Covid-19 vaccine to the public since September last year.
However, further checks found that the suspect has requested for his clinic to be used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre (PPV) but it has not been approved by the Ministry of Health.
“We also found that some clinics have not been appointed as PPV, but were only allowed to administer paid Sinovac Covid-19 vaccines.
“It was implemented in the past (paid vaccination) but we do not have sufficient supply of vaccines to be given to the community for free at the appointed PPV now.
“We (department of health) will wait for police investigation for further actions on this doctor and his private practice,” she said.
If the suspect is found guilty, he could be suspended. His medical officer licence and clinic registration could also be revoked.
Besides that, under the Control and Prevention of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342), any individual who owns Covid-19 vaccination certificates without administering the actual injection can be compounded if they are proven to be involved in the fraud.
“The Department of Health also intensifies efforts with the police to identify the customers involved in the falsification of vaccination certificates. They will also be given advice and counselling o get their vaccination shots,” she said. -MalaysiaGazette
