Sri Mulyani Estimates Indonesia Is Immune To COVID-19 In The Next 15 Months

Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (Photo: Doc. Ministry of Finance)

JAKARTA - Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that the estimated budget for the COVID-19 vaccine at IDR 73.3 trillion has the potential to increase as the price of the vaccine has increased.

"IDR 73.3 trillion estimation is based on the price estimation submitted. Of course, we will see the dynamics that occur," she said at a meeting with Commission XI of the Indonesian Parliament in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, January 27.

Sri Mulyani explained that currently there is a dynamic, which is an increase in vaccine prices because rich countries are buying up all the availability of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"There has been an increase in the price of vaccines because people in rich countries buy up everything and rich people in rich countries have started buying their own," she explained.

Moreover, Sri Mulyani stated that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) this was a warning that the COVID-19 vaccination could become a world moral tragedy.

However, Sri Mulyani ensured that the Indonesian government would still carry out free vaccinations for the entire community to ensure that everyone must be vaccinated without exception.

"The total doses secured are 663.5 million vaccines to fulfill the herd immunity free vaccination and the timeframe that the President hopes will be completed in 2021, even though it is actually 15 months," she said.

Meanwhile, she said to meet the vaccination needs, refocusing or reallocation of expenditure would be carried out to maintain the deficit according to input from the DPR.

Then also refocusing or reallocation of K/L expenditure including TKDD has been carried out by the government in accordance with the President's direction, which is to focus on non-priority spending and adjustments to non-operational goods and capital expenditures.

"This will be completed in February so that the implementation of economic recovery can be carried out immediately," she said.

Not only that, but budget fulfillment is also carried out through optimizing 2021 financing, namely using the 2020 PEN silpa according to the mandate of the 2021 State Budget Law and utilizing cheap funding sources to support the vaccination program.

"For all procurement, we are very closely guarded by the KPK, BPK, and friends of the Ministry of Health," said Sri Mulyani.