Government Asked By KPK To Prepare Independent COVID-19 Vaccination Rules

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has asked the government to immediately compile implementing regulations related to the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination independently or commercially. Because, until now there has been no legal umbrella regarding the ministries and agencies assigned to carry out this vaccination.

"Our suggestion is to formulate a legal umbrella for ministries or agencies assigned to provide independent vaccines," KPK deputy chairman Lili Pintauli Siregar told reporters on Friday, January 15.

He said this rule was important to prevent irregularities. Moreover, it is not impossible that in the future there will be companies that take advantage of people's needs to make profits.

"Why do we think about doing prevention, because avoiding the wrong target then the state can suffer losses and there is a conflict of interest in it for that," he said.

With clear rules, it is hoped that in the future no company will fix prices arbitrarily. Meanwhile, regarding this request, said Lili, the KPK had submitted it to Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and BUMN Minister Erick Thohir while holding an audience at the KPK building, Jakarta, some time ago.

"That's what we suggest to the Minister of Health and the Minister of BUMN to implement it," he said.

Separately, Acting Spokesperson for the KPK in the field of prevention, Ipi Maryati, said that not only was his institution escorting the COVID-19 vaccination issue but also collaborating with other agencies.

"Through a cross-agency team that was formed, including consisting of the Ministry of Health, BPKP, LKPP, the Attorney General's Office, and the Police, the KPK was involved in providing input and participating in overseeing government policies regarding the procurement and plans for vaccine administration," said Ipi.

In addition, there are a number of recommendations related to vaccines submitted by the KPK, such as asking for vaccine purchases not to be made in large quantities until the results of phase three clinical trials are known and vaccine purchases must receive consideration from the Policy Committee for Covid-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (PEN).

"As well as asking for the consideration of the Junior Attorney General for Civil and Administrative Affairs (Jamdatun), LKPP, and BPKP to help analyze the draft vaccine procurement contract," he said.

From that recommendation, Ipi said that something had been implemented by the government. However, Ipi confirmed that his party would continue to oversee the procurement of vaccines so that there would be no irregularities or losses in state finances.

"In the future, according to the meeting with the BUMN and Health Ministers on Friday, January 8, 2021, it was agreed that the team's work would be continued and strengthened to oversee the distribution and administration of vaccines by using NIK as the database for vaccine administration," he concluded.