Bill Gates Appreciates Indonesia, Could Be A Successful Example Of Child Vaccination In The World

JAKARTA - World technology and philanthropic figure Bill Gates expressed his appreciation for Indonesia's success in implementing the child vaccination program. He assessed the commitment of the Indonesian government as one of the concrete examples in supporting the health of future generations.

This praise was conveyed when Bill Gates visited the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, ahead of the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Gates Foundation. In his remarks at the Merdeka Palace, he praised various vaccination initiatives that have been carried out by the government.

"Indonesia is an exemplary country, because it has adopted various important vaccines such as the rotavirus vaccine to prevent diarrhea, pneumokokus for pneumonia, and now the HPV vaccine is being widely implemented," Gates said, as quoted by ANTARA.

He also highlighted the work of the Indonesian Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, who is now a member of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) council. GAVI itself is a global institution engaged in vaccination and has the support of the Gates Foundation.

Pak Budi has a deep understanding of GAVI since the pandemic. His position on the council shows the close relationship between GAVI and Indonesia. We really appreciate this growing cooperation," he continued.

According to Gates, Indonesia's partnership with international organizations such as GAVI reflects the country's seriousness in tackling disease that can be prevented from an early age. He stated that the expansion of immunization coverage plays a major role in reducing the rate of child mortality globally.

He revealed that when the Gates Foundation was first established in 2000, the death rate of children under five reached 10 million people each year. The main causes include diarrhea, pneumonia, malaria, and various complications in the first 30 days of baby life.

About 90 percent of these deaths came from the four main causes. Therefore, we chose to focus on developing medical technology, such as vaccines, and encouraging its distribution globally," explains Gates.

Now, thanks to massive vaccination efforts in various parts of the world, the number of child deaths under five has fallen to less than 5 million per year. However, Gates stressed that the number is still too high and must continue to be suppressed.

He is optimistic that through advances in technology and collaboration across countries, the death rate of children can continue to be lowered. Gates also emphasized that Indonesia plays a key role in encouraging global health progress through research, distribution of vaccines, and strengthening the national health system.