Jokowi Wants To Accelerate Vaccination For Children But In Mataram In Fact It Runs Out Of Stock

Photo: BPMI Setpres/Kris

JAKARTA - The government is aggressively campaigning for children aged 6-11 years to get vaccine injections as soon as possible. But that desire turned with the conditions on the field. Vaccines are out of stock.

This condition occurred at the Regional General Hospital (RSUD) Mataram City, West Nusa Tenggara. Here, the empty stock of COVID-19 vaccine is an obstacle to accelerating vaccination services for children aged 6-11 years.

"Today we are not opening COVID-19 vaccination services for children aged 6-11 years, including those aged 12 years and over, because the vaccine stock is empty," said Director of the Mataram City Hospital, Hj Ni Ketut Eka Nurhayati, Friday, January 7, quoted from Antara.

The Mataram Hospital is still waiting for the vaccine stock to be sent from the Mataram City Health Office (Dinkes) so that child vaccination services can be reopened. But even if it was sent today, the hospital could only return to serve the vaccine injection the next day.

"Hopefully this afternoon we will have received the stock of vaccines, so that tomorrow morning (Saturday 8/1), vaccination services will be reopened," he said.

According to him, since the declaration of the COVID-19 vaccination for children aged 6-11 years on Tuesday (4/1), the number of children who have self-vaccinated by coming and accompanied by their parents to the Mataram City Hospital is 43 children.

"Besides the limited stock of vaccines, so far there have been no obstacles for vaccination services for children aged 6-11 years at the Mataram City Hospital," he said.

Even to attract children to want to be vaccinated, the Mataram City Hospital will work together with the Heron Shop to provide gifts to children who come to vaccinate independently every weekend.

"But for certainty when the program will start, we are still waiting for the answer," said Eka.