BPKN Suggests The Highest Price For The COVID-19 Vaccine No More Than IDR 100,000

Illustrated. (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The National Consumer Protection Agency (BPKN) stated that the price of the independent COVID-19 vaccine must be affordable for the public. BPKN's recommendation for the highest vaccine price is no more than IDR 100,000 per dose.

Coordinator of the BPKN Research and Development Commission, Anna Maria Tri Anggraini, said that the pricing of vaccines must comply with the standards set by the World Health Organization (WHO).

"For paid vaccines, the upper limit is around Rp. 100,000 according to the standards issued by WHO and the benchmarking we accept," he said at a press conference, Monday, December 14.

Not only that, BPKN also asked the government to ensure data collection on which people could receive vaccines for free and which had to be paid. In addition, the vaccination process in Indonesia must also be carried out after the release of the third clinical trial and the results of the study from the POM.

On the same occasion, Chairman of BPKN Rizal Edy Halim said that the government also has the responsibility to determine the Highest Retail Price (HET) for vaccines, rather than leaving it to the market mechanism.

Furthermore, Rizal said, this was regulated in the Health Law. Where according to him, the government is obliged to take full responsibility for public health.

"The price regulation for rapid tests, PCR tests, swab tests and vaccines must be determined by the government based on the economic value and community capacity according to predetermined standards," he said.

For your information, on Sunday, December 6, the COVID-19 vaccine, a Sinovac product from China, arrived in Indonesia, totaling 1.2 million doses. The vaccine is transported using an aircraft belonging to the airline PT Garuda Indonesia Tbk (GIAA), an aircraft of the Boeing 777-300ER type.

This vaccine from a Chinese pharmaceutical company is the first COVID-19 vaccine to land in Indonesia. In the first phase, the government brought in 1.2 million doses. Followed by the plan for the arrival of the second phase of 1.8 million doses.

Previously, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said the Sinovac vaccine price would be priced at US $ 10 to US $ 20 or around Rp.141,320 to Rp282,640 per dose.

"The Sinovac vaccine costs between US $ 10-20," said Airlangga at the Virtual 100 Economist Workshop, Tuesday, September 15.