Encourage Regional Heads To Boost Polio Vaccination, Minister Of Home Affairs: No More Providing Hospitals

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian encouraged regional heads to boost polio vaccination.

This was conveyed by Tito while chairing the Regional Inflation Control Coordination Meeting concurrently with the Polio Extraordinary Incident Management (KLB) at the Bhakti Bhakti Praja Building, Head Office of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Jakarta, Monday, June 24.

He also appealed to the local government (Pemda) to ensure data on people infected with polio. According to him, polio vaccination efforts were not as difficult as when the COVID-19 vaccination, which at the beginning of its emergence had not been found.

"No longer looking for [or] providing hospitals, then convalescent plasma therapy of all kinds, this is just vaccinating because the goods already exist," said the Minister of Home Affairs in a statement in Jakarta, Monday, June 24, confiscated by Antara.

Tito assessed that polio is an old disease where the vaccine already exists, so all that is needed is a program to move the vaccination.

Therefore, the need for the seriousness of the local government to pay more attention to the polio vaccination movement so that it becomes a priority program.

He said he believed that through the meeting the local government would be more concerned about overcoming polio.

The government also targets the vaccination rate to reach 95 percent so that group immunity is formed so that the spread is stopped.

"This is our responsibility to the younger generation of Indonesia, to God, we as the holders of the current mandate, we must save," he explained.

He appealed to regional heads to form a team to take care of the vaccination.

In addition to using the regular budget of the respective Health Offices, the Regional Government can also take advantage of the Unexpected Expenditure Budget (BTT) if it experiences a shortage.

"Later, I will issue a circular and here is the Second Director General, please make a circular to be able to use BTT, there has been a circular issued yesterday by the Acting Secretary General. I ask for another circular that I signed," said Tito.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin also conveyed a similar message.

He asked regional heads to help accelerate polio vaccination, especially in Papua because it is one of the priority areas for handling.

Because, based on data from the Ministry of Health, polio vaccination in Papua is still low, so it needs to be improved.

"This disease is a congenital defect for our children that is permanent and terrible, so please help me speed up the vaccination because it saves our children," added Budi.

He appealed to regional heads to encourage each Health Office and Regional General Hospital (RSUD) to help vaccinate.

Regarding operational costs, the local government can take advantage of the Non-Physical Special Allocation Fund (DAK). Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health will provide the vaccine.