DPR: Free Booster Vaccines Only For The Poor, People Can Afford To Pay For Themselves

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JAKARTA - Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives reminded that the third dose of COVID-19 vaccination or booster which will run in 2022 must be given free of charge to the poor.

Deputy Chairperson of Commission IX of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Charles Honoris, said that the discourse of giving COVID-19 boosters free of charge only to recipients of BPJS Health contribution assistance had been conveyed by the Minister of Health some time ago during a working meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives.

So far, according to Charles, vaccination coverage in the country shows a pretty good number. Therefore, President Jokowi's commitment to free vaccination needs to be maintained.

"We appreciate the commitment of the President, who has been providing free vaccines to the public. Likewise, the vaccination coverage rate in Indonesia is quite good. Of course, success in vaccination so far will not be achieved without the cooperation of all elements of the nation", said Charles, Sunday, December 5th.

Charles emphasized that the Corona booster vaccine for people who can afford it can be borne independently. Meanwhile, for the poor, Charles assessed that the booster vaccine should be free.

"In the future, of course, we must continue to prioritize the same spirit of cooperation in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Poor and underprivileged people must still be able to get booster vaccines for free from the state", he said.

"However, for those who can afford it, we certainly hope that they can finance themselves as part of cooperation. So that subsidies from the state can be used for the benefit of the wider people", added the PDIP politician.

Previously, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said that the third dose of COVID-19 or booster vaccination would run in parallel in all provinces in the country starting January 2022. Later, the third dose of vaccination will be partially paid for and some will be free.

There are no (priority) provinces, everything is directly parallel", Luhut said as reported by Antara, Saturday, November 4.

Luhut said the COVID-19 booster vaccination will be obtained by some Indonesians for free and some for a fee.

"Some are paid. Our lower class people don't pay or it's free, that's about 100 million people, others pay. I'll definitely pay for it", said Luhut.