Speaker Of The House Of Representatives Encourages Free Booster Vaccines For The Community

Speaker of the House of Representatives Puan Maharani/DOK via ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, hopes that the COVID-19 booster vaccine will be given to the public without any fees or free.

"The DPR RI provides full support for the implementation of the COVID-19 booster vaccine program," said Puan in a written statement quoted by Antara, Tuesday, January 4.

The booster vaccine is targeted to start running on January 12, 2022 for adults. Currently, we are still waiting for the research results of the Indonesian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI). In this case, said Puan, public safety is paramount.

"The government must ensure the safety of the people. Therefore, booster vaccines need to be provided free of charge for citizens, especially small people," said the PDI-P politician.

Nevertheless, Puan assessed that the Government could prepare other options in accordance with the country's capabilities.

If the economy is still unable to cover the booster vaccine program, continued Puan, the government can create a paid booster program for the upper middle class.

"However, the main principle is that booster vaccines must be free because vaccines are the basic needs of the people which are the responsibility of the state," said Puan.

The booster vaccine program is prioritized to target the elderly group participating in BPJS Health Contribution Assistance (PBI) and non-PBI participants.

The DPR hopes that the Government will pay close attention to the data on BPJS Health PBI participants, considering that this group of people is the most difficult to get access to health.

"Make sure that all underprivileged people are included in the BPJS Health PBI list, both the elderly and the general group. Thus, people from these groups really get health services without worrying about the costs," he said.

The former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture emphasized the importance of booster vaccines, especially since the number of Omicron cases has increased.

Puan underlined research by University of Copenhagen researchers, Statistics Denmark and the Statens Serum Institute (SSI), which stated that the Omicron virus spreads faster than the Delta variant due to its high ability to evade COVID-19 vaccine immunity.

Based on the same study, it was found that people who had received booster injections had a lower risk of transmitting the COVID-19 virus than people who were not vaccinated.

Therefore, Puan hopes that the booster vaccine program can be implemented immediately.

"The government must also pay attention to the availability of boosters. There is also a need for a breakthrough so that Indonesia does not depend on other countries to get vaccines," said Puan.