Starting January 1, 2024, Paid COVID-19 Vaccination, Except For This Group

Illustration of health workers preparing medical equipment for COVID-19 patients. (Between-Raisan Al Farisi)

JAKARTA - The government has decided to no longer free the provision of COVID-19 vaccination to the general public starting Monday, January 1, 2024. However, a number of groups still get vaccination services for free. The new policy of protecting people's immunity through vaccination is increasingly focused on vulnerable groups who still have a fatality and death risk due to COVID-19. This is stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Health (PMK) Number HK.01.07/MENKES/2193/2023 concerning the Provision of Immunization of COVID-19 Program. "In the future there will be two groups that will be targeted for the immunization of COVID-19 programs and get free COVID-19 immunizations," said Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health Maxi Rein Rondonuwu in a written statement, Sunday, December 31. Maxi explained that the first group was those who had never received the COVID-19 vaccine at all. While the second group is those who have received at least 1 dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Both the first group and the second group, the next free vaccination is specifically for the elderly, elderly with comorbidities, comorbid adults, health workers who work at the forefront, pregnant women, and adolescents aged 12 years and over and other age groups with immunocompromised conditions or people who experience moderate-heavy immune system disorders. Then, in the Circular Letter of the Director General of Health Farmalkes HK.02.02/E/2571/2023 concerning the Provision of Vaccines for the Implementation of the COVID-19 Vaccine, for people who are not included in the above criteria, the immunization of COVID-19 is an independent immunization of choice, and can be obtained in all health service facilities that provide COVID-19 vaccination services.

"“COVID-19Vaccines used for immunization of choice must be those that already have NIE from BPOM and obtained from official distributors appointed by producers," said Director General of Pharmacy and Medical Devices of the Ministry of Health Rizka Andalucia.