KPK Investigate PPE Corruption That Loses Hundreds Of Billions Of Countries, Ministry Of Health: Case Before Mr. Budi Jabat Minister Of Health

Head of the Communication and Information Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi (ANTARA/Andi Firdaus).

The Indonesian Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has made the case of alleged corruption in the procurement of COVID-19 personal protective equipment (PPE) as an evaluation material for the prevention of corruption, collusion and nepotism (KKN) within the agency.

"Of course this will be an evaluation to continue to increase the efforts of the Indonesian Ministry of Health to prevent KKN," said Head of the Communication and Information Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, November 10.

He suspects that the case only involves individuals within the scope of the Ministry of Health, before Budi Gunadi Sadikin is appointed as Minister of Health.

"In our understanding, this case occurred before Pak Budi Gunadi Sadikin served as Minister of Health (Menkes)," he said.

Budi Gunadi Sadikin was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo to become Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia on December 23, 2020.

When asked about the individual in question, Nadia said there had been no further communication from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

"We have not received further information from the KPK. The mechanism (of law) already exists and is already running, only if individual opportunities are possible," he said.

Nadia emphasized that efforts to prevent KKN within the Ministry of Health were taken, one of which was through the provision of digitalization of a transparent and accountable health service system.

Electronic catalogs in goods and services procurement activities at the Indonesian Ministry of Health, said Nadia, have reached 90 percent of the total health budget allocation.

"So, procurement with the e-catalog method of 90 percent of goods and services is carried out with this catalog," he said.

He said the e-catalog method further suppressed the potential for abuse of authority compared to using the auction method for the provision of goods and services.

"It's not 100 percent yet, because there are some needs that are not registered in the e-catalog," he said.

Meanwhile, the KPK said that the losses suffered by the state in the alleged corruption case in the procurement of PPE at the Ministry of Health reached hundreds of billions of rupiah.

Until now, the KPK is still developing the investigation of the case.