Erick Thohir Orders Telkom To Make Big Data For The Distribution Of COVID-19 Vaccines

Minister of BUMN, Erick Thohir. (Photo: Ministry of BUMN)

JAKARTA - The government is making various preparations so that the vaccination process can be carried out according to the target, namely the end of 2020 or early 2021. One of them is preparing an integrated big data information system to help and monitor the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia.

BUMN Minister Erick Thohir said that in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) 99/2020, the Ministry of Health is in command of the vaccination process. Meanwhile, the Ministry of BUMN will help to prepare an integrated big data information system as a whole.

Erick said the initial target to be vaccinated is in the age range 18 to 59 years. Meanwhile, the target to be immunized is 67 percent.

"Given the very high but still limited demand for vaccines, the government is eager to ensure the vaccination journey is as transparent as possible and the government prepares as well as possible," he said, in a webinar, Tuesday, November 24.

The government, said Erick, will issue two types of vaskin, namely government-assisted vaccines and independent vaccines. Government-assisted vaccines are prioritized for health workers, TNI, Polri, and the poor. Meanwhile, independent vaccines are for people who can afford to pay for themselves.

Erick said, in order to support the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine evenly in Indonesia, the government prepared a big data information system by cooperating with PT Telkom Indonesia Tbk (TLKM) and PT Bio Farma (Persero) as an aggregator.

"Again, I emphasize, this data belongs to the government. We are from BUMN, Telkom, Bio Farma, as an aggregator to keep the data recorded properly. So this is not ours, it belongs to the government," he said.

On the same occasion, Telkom Indonesia's Digital Business Director Muhamad Fajrin Rasyid said the company was transforming into a digital telecommunications company. This transformation process is carried out to adapt to today's technological business developments.

Fajrin explained that the technology development carried out by Telkom includes data analytics. This data becomes the basis for the information system and one COVID-19 vaccination data to help KPC-PEN.

"This information system is made for several purposes, one of which is to integrate data from various sources of ministries and institutions such as BPJS Health, BPJS Employment, Ministry of Health (for health workers), Disdukcapil, Ministry of Home Affairs, TNI and Polri for the validity of vaccine recipients," he said.

According to Fajrin, this system will sort priority group data. Starting from who will be vaccinated, exactly who, the name and address are already there. This system will be used for both government and independent vaccine programs.

"So that people who are registered in one system do not need to be registered in another system so that we can reduce duplication and also give vaccinations to people who are more targeted," he said.

Fajrin said, when vaccines are available, this information system will also be used to monitor vaccine shipments, vaccine stock numbers and match vaccine needs, as well as other distribution techniques by providing daily control reports.