Indonesian Embassy In Doha Facilitates COVID-19 Vaccination For Indonesian Citizens Vulnerable Groups In Qatar

JAKARTA - The Indonesian Embassy in Doha, Qatar facilitated the provision of vaccinations for Indonesian citizens belonging to the category of vulnerable groups, namely Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) who live temporarily in the Indonesian Embassy in Doha shelter.

In a written statement received in Jakarta, Wednesday, the vaccination was carried out at Rumailah Hospital, Doha on Tuesday 10 August, accompanied directly by the Head of the COVID-19 Handling Task Force in Qatar, Chairil Anhar Siregar with related staff of the Indonesian Embassy in Doha.

"Attempting to get vaccines for Indonesian citizens of vulnerable groups is not an easy matter. Indonesian citizens do not have Qatari passports and identity cards (QID) or any documents showing their domicile in Qatar. Their current status is undocumented," the Indonesian Embassy in Doha said in a statement, citing Antara. Wednesday 11 August.

However, thanks to the efforts of the Indonesian Ambassador to Qatar Ridwan Hassan to negotiate with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, the statement continued, Indonesian citizens can also be facilitated to receive COVID-19 vaccination with the Moderna vaccine.

"The Indonesian Embassy in Doha will continue to work diligently to ensure that all Indonesian citizens in Qatar have access to vaccines," said Ambassador Ridwan Hassan.

With the provision of the vaccine, the Indonesian Embassy hopes that Indonesian citizens can have maximum personal protection, and are expected to minimize the risk of being infected with COVID-19, especially when returning to Indonesia.

According to data, currently there are 402 Indonesian citizens infected with COVID-19 in Qatar, with 397 of them having been declared cured and 2 others still undergoing quarantine.

The Indonesian Embassy in Doha, through the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, added that it continues to provide assistance to Indonesian citizens affected by COVID-19, urging all Indonesian citizens in Qatar to make optimal use of the vaccination program.

To note, the vaccination program in Qatar has been started since December 23, 2020. The local government provides Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna's COVID-19 vaccines for free for all eligible residents.