Minister Of Health, Budi, Lobbies To Get 108 Million Free Vaccines For Covax GAVI

Capture the screen of Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. (Mery Handayani / VOI)

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government continues to lobby GAVI so that Indonesia can get a total of 108 million doses of vaccine that will be given free of charge. GAVI is a multilateral vaccine alliance based in Geneva, Switzerland.

Budi hopes to get more of these free vaccines. That way, vaccine purchases in the other four channels can be suppressed. This means that the government can save the budget for the purchase of vaccines.

"Until two days ago we were still talking with them and there is a possibility that they could increase it to 108 million," he said, during a working meeting with Commission IX of the DPR, Tuesday, January 12.

Currently, Budi said, Indonesia has just received the assurance of the COVAX / GAVI vaccine with a total of 54 million doses. According to Budi, there is still a chance to get another 54 million doses, bringing the total to 108 million doses.

"Because the one from Covax GAVI is a multilateral organization from WHO as well, the figures are uncertain and can still be shifted," he said.

However, said Budi, if the government failed to lobby GAVI to get additional vaccines, then the option taken was to continue buying vaccines from suppliers.

"But if we can't, we'll take the paid ones," he explained.

Currently, Indonesia has ordered five vaccine brands. Four of them must be purchased. Starting from the Sinovac, Novavac, AstraZeneca, to Pfizer vaccines.

The total number of orders that have been confirmed reaches 329 million. This includes 50 million Pfizer vaccines and 50 million AstraZeneca vaccines, which have entered the process of finalizing the volume purchase agreement. Apart from that, there is a potential purchase of 334 million.

"So the total on the table (firm orders and potential) is now 663 million, of the need for 426 million," he said.