Clinics Received Bribes Up To RM1,000 For Fake Vaccination Certificates

By Quinny Tan  •  25 Aug 2021 in News

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The digital vaccination certificate has now become a hot “commodity” as the fully vaccinated are allowed greater liberties and social perks.

Several clinics in Penang have been bombarded with calls from anti-vaxxers who wanted to buy digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates.

General practitioner Dr Arisman Wenge Abdul Rahman said some of his medical colleagues had been approached to falsify the vaccination status of those who refused to get jabbed.

“These individuals approach the doctors and boast that they are willing to pay to get the certificates without getting the jabs.

“They will come and whisper to the medical personnel at the vaccination centres and ask them to pretend to administer the vaccine,” he said, adding that he had not heard of any staff members taking up such an offer to date.

A doctor from a clinic in Penang also shared a similar situation, saying they received about 10 calls about Covid-19 digital certificates.

“We started offering Sinovac vaccines at our clinic in the second week of August. But within the first week, my staff had already received two calls specifically to purchase e-certificates.

“I was shocked and angry because I felt humiliated. Never in my 15 years of service as a medical doctor has anyone offered me money to lie and cheat,” she said yesterday.

Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations Malaysia president Dr Steven Chow said members had reported getting phone calls requesting to falsify vaccine certificates with offers of up to RM1,000 per certificate.

“They are not necessarily anti-vaxxers. They may be people who need to travel urgently.”

ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Dr Anas Alam Faizli also revealed that there had been isolated cases where anti-vaxxers had gone to the vaccination centre (PPV) but refused to roll up their sleeves.

“They only wanted to be recorded as having received their vaccination. PPV is where vaccines are given, not where documents are forged. Such an attitude would not be entertained,” he said.

Recently, the police have also started investigations into the alleged sale of fake digital vaccination certificates, which was highlighted on social media.

As callers usually hang up after knowing their requests cannot be met, he said clinics usually did not lodge reports due to a lack of information.