Epidemiologist Regret Rebekah Tjiptaning Rejecting COVID-19 Vaccine: He's A Doctor, Should Understand How Vaccines Work

JAKARTA - Epidemiologist Andalas University (Unand), West Sumatra Defriman Djafri regretted the attitude of DPR member Ribka Tjiptaning who refused the COVID-19 vaccination.

"He is a doctor. He should understand how vaccines work and how effective they are," Defriman said as quoted by Antara, Thursday, January 14.

According to him, Ribka Tjiptaning, a member of Commission IX DPR who has a scientific background in the health sector. Ribka continued Defriman should help the government explain the goodness of vaccines to the public.

According to him, the responses of PDI-P politicians regarding the impact of the elephantiasis and polio vaccines that have occurred in Indonesia cannot be generalized.

Because, the side effects that occur in some of these people could be due to incorrect procedures or initial screening errors.

As an epidemiologist, he is of the view that Ribka, who is also the people's representative in Senayan, should contribute to the success of vaccination in the country.

"Moreover, this is only phase one which is being carried out for health workers, supporting staff including medical students who are in service," said the Dean of the Faculty of Public Health, Unand.

If the first stage is successful, the future will be more systematic. However, if health workers are afraid or members of the DPR refuse to be vaccinated, then the community can also refuse.

Previously reported, members of the House of Representatives Commission IX from the PDI-P Faction (PDIP Ribka Tjiptaning emphasized that they reject the COVID-19 vaccine. Mbak Ning, as she is called, prefers to pay a fine if sanctioned for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination.)

"Second, the problem of vaccines, I still don't want to be vaccinated. I still don't want to be vaccinated, I want to be vaccinated for up to 63 years, I am 63. In DKI all my children and grandchildren (if) get sanctions of Rp. 5 million, I better pay, sell, sell cars, grandpa. How does Bio Farma still say that it hasn't been a third clinical trial and so on, "said Ribka Tjiptaning in a DPR Commission IX working meeting with Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, Head of BPOM and Managing Director of Bio Farma which was broadcast via YouTube DPR RI, Tuesday, January 12.

Not without reason, this PDIP politician Mbak Ning refuses the COVID-19 vaccination. Ribka Tjiptaning has experience with other vaccines that have brought disadvantages.

“My experience is the minister's brother, I will speak again at the meeting, the polio vaccine has even paralyzed it in Sukabumi. Then the anti-elephant leg in Majalaya died 12, because in India it was rejected, in Africa it was rejected. I entered Indonesia Rp. 1.3 trillion when I was chairman of the commission. I really remember that, don't play with vaccines, I refuse vaccines, if forced to do human rights, it violates human rights. You can't force that, "said Ribka firmly in front of the Minister of Health.