Minister Of Health: Paid Vaccines For Individuals Are Not Grants, But Purchased By Industry And BUMN

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin/ANTARA

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin ensured that paid vaccination for individuals in the country uses the Sinopharm vaccine purchased by industry and State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).

"The Sinopharm vaccine was bought by Industry and BUMN. If a private grant from the King of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Mr. President Joko Widodo, Bio Farma did not sell it," he said while attending a virtual hearing at the Hearing Meeting (RDP) with Commission IX of the House of Representatives, quoted Between, Tuesday, July 13th.

Minister of Health Budi said the Sinopharm vaccine granted by the UAE was managed very carefully by the Ministry of Health.

"We are very careful, every time we want to issue, we ask for direction from the President. At first, this vaccine was intended to be used for Hajj," he said.

However, because this year's Hajj has been cancelled, said Budi, according to President Joko Widodo's instructions, the Sinophram vaccine has been directed to people with disabilities.

"This is given as the President's personal quota to people with disabilities in the red zone," said the Minister of Health.

Minister of Health Budi added that the use of the Sinopharm vaccine is a paid vaccination program for individuals using vaccines from the Gotong Royong program purchased by industry and state-owned enterprises.

This paid vaccination also gives access to several foreign nationals (foreigners) who already live in Indonesia and have not received an injection of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Regarding the price, the Minister of Health said that it will be determined soon and its implementation will not be carried out at vaccination centers or other health facilities that have served government program vaccinations.