All Sinovac Vaccines For Bali Have Been Used Before Its Expired Date On March 25

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DENPASAR - Head of Bali Provincial Health Office, Ketut Suarjaya, confirmed that the Sinovac vaccine was used up before it expired on March 25.

"We spend it for health workers. We used all of them in single box", said Suarjaya when contacted Monday, March 15.

Suarjaya explained that Bali had received 76 thousand doses of vaccine. The vaccine in the form of a small bottle or vial containing one dose is used for the first and second doses of health workers in Bali.

While the vaccines used for public service, the elderly and other targets use multi-dose vaccines. "But yesterday's vaccines were 43 thousand times two, 86 thousand. Meanwhile, 76 thousand were sent", he added.

He conveyed that for the target of vaccines every day in Bali, namely 12 thousand for health workers, the first and second stages for the elderly and public services.

"Every day it continues, because the daily target is 10 thousand (vaccines). But every day we reach more than 12 thousand per day. There was no vaccination for the elderly and public service workers yesterday because it was Nyepi (Seclusion Day/Day of Silence)", said Suarjaya.

Bali Provincial Government Facilitates 26 Thousand Migrant Workers Vaccination

The Governor of Bali, Wayan Koster, will facilitate the COVID-19 vaccination process for Indonesian Migrant Workers (PMI) from Bali, especially those who will soon return to work abroad.

"Everyone who will depart, we facilitate them with vaccination. It is obligatory and we will help", said Koster, when he received an audience from the Bali Seafarers' Union (KPI) at the Bali Governor's Office, Jayasabha, Denpasar, Monday, March 15.

According to Koster, Balinese migrant workers who migrate abroad must be properly protected and facilitated, supported, and helped in the process of getting to the employing country.

"For those who need vaccines, they must immediately record them properly. By name, by address, where their workplace is, what company or their supervisors, it must be complete and organized, follow the mechanism in the regency or city", he added.

He said that it is appropriate for migrant workers from Bali to receive attention, especially in the midst of a pandemic and an uncertain economic situation such as today. That way, it is hoped that the workers who mostly work on the cruise ships can get jobs with clear status.

"This is something we should be really grateful for", he said.

Koster is trying to fulfill the vaccination program for PMI Bali, which is estimated to be more than 26 thousand people. Then it will be carried out in stages with the first priority of 5000 PMI who are ready to leave or have already tied a work contract.

"For this reason, the data must be in order, so that they can be served well. Implemented gradually", he said.

To provide protection for PMI from Bali, his party is currently drafting a Governor Regulation (Pergub) regarding the protection system for Indonesian migrant workers for Balinese manners. This Governor Regulation was created to respond to the many Balinese as PMI who work abroad.

The regulation in the form of a Governor Regulation, among others, will regulate the origin, family, in which country the person concerned works, what type of work is, where he lives, and so on. This regulation will be connected to a digital system. Therefore, Migrant Workers from Bali are required to register with the Bali Province Manpower and Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Office.

"Thus, we have a database of our workers abroad that we can protect and provide good services. This is the government's obligation", Koster explained.

In addition, PMIs will also be equipped with additional skills through training facilitated by the government as provisions for working in destination countries. "So this policy can also open up new job opportunities for our PMI in the destination country", he explained.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of KPI Bali, I Dewa Putu Susila appreciated the efforts to facilitate the vaccination program for migrant workers from Bali.

"This problem is very crucial because vaccination is a condition for them to return to work. There an agreement as a requirement before leaving. If the program (PMI Vaccination) can run, I think Bali can be a pioneer because other regions have not implemented this", said Susila.

He said there were about 5 thousand PMIs that had been contracted and were ready to leave until next June. Plus 26 thousand more are waiting for departure, all of whom have not yet received the vaccine.

"I think this is a good opportunity for sailors or our workers who have the opportunity to leave. Because they have proven to be able to directly drive the economy of the people in their home areas", said Susila.