Dzulkefly said on July 30, both Malaysia and the Philippines signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the scope of cooperation on health aspects for both countries.

He said the MoU was signed by him and his counterpart from the Philippines, Dr Francisco T. Duque III.

“In terms of the cost, it is fully borne by the government of the Philippines. Therefore, there is no issue of cost to our government,” he said during question time in the Dewan Rakyat.

Ahmad Hassan (Warisan-Papar) had asked about the cost of providing vaccination and immunisation to Filipinos in Sabah.

In order to achieve herd immunity, Dzulkefly said at least 95% of children should receive immunisation including those who were not citizens or those without identification documents.

“If this group is excluded, herd immunity among Malaysian children cannot be achieved as a result of reduced immunisation coverage, and this would lead to the spread of vaccine-preventable diseases,” he said.