Sri Mulyani: Incentives For 23,000 New Health Workers Have Been Prepared

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH

JAKARTA - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that her party had prepared additional incentives of Rp. 1.08 trillion for around three thousand doctors and 20 thousand nurses who would be recruited to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Incentives for health workers are given additionally because emergency hospitals need doctors and health workers. 3,000 new doctors and 20,000 nurses will be recruited, for which incentives must be provided, so we add IDR 1.08 trillion," Sri Mulyani said in a virtual press conference quoted by Antara, Saturday, July 17.

The incentives from the additional Rp1.08 trillion budget will complement the previous incentive budget of Rp17.3 trillion, bringing the total incentives to health workers to Rp18.4 trillion.

"Later on the acceleration for disbursement, the Minister of Health can explain, but we have prepared the budget," said the State Treasurer.

The Ministry of Finance, said Sri Mulyani, has prepared a budget of Rp1.17 trillion for the procurement of drugs and vitamins that will be distributed free of charge to COVID-19 patients who are self-isolating at home.

“We allocated Rp1.17 trillion. What was previously IDR 770 billion, we will add IDR 400 billion so that it will reach IDR 1.17 trillion. This is a drug package for self-isolation, different from being treated at the hospital," he said.

Meanwhile, the budget for converting buildings into emergency hospitals such as Wisma Haji in Pondok Gede, Jakarta, then in Surabaya, Boyolali, Bandung and Yogyakarta, will reach Rp2.75 trillion. "This increase in the number of COVID-19. Hajj hostels are converted into emergency hospitals in Pondok Gede, in Surabaya, in Boyolali, in Bandung, in Yogyakarta. It requires a budget of IDR 2.75 trillion," said the Minister of Finance.