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Self-paid vaccine plan sparks anger
State-owned pharmaceutical firm PT Kimia Farma offered a privately paid COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia for Rp 879,000 (US$60) for two doses of Sinopharm vaccines.
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A medical worker shows a vial of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine at the Gotong Royong vaccination center organized by the Indonesian Banks Association (Perbanas) at Tennis Indoor Senayan, Jakarta on June 19, 2021. (Antara/Akbar Nugroho Gumay)
T
he latest plan to launch a privately paid vaccination program has been met with anger by critics who claim the government is attempting to reap profits from the pandemic.
On Sunday, state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Kimia Farma announced it would offer a privately paid vaccination program at eight clinics in six cities in Java and Bali as part of the Gotong Royong private vaccination scheme.
According to the company, the service is offered to anyone willing to pay Rp 879,000 (US$60) for two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by state-backed China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm).
The self-paid vaccination program was made possible after the government revised the Gotong Royong scheme last week in a revision to a Health Ministry regulation. The new policy, however, was only made known to the public on Sunday.
Initially, the Gotong Royong scheme had only allowed private and state-owned companies to buy vaccine supplies from the government for distribution to employees and their family members free of charge.
Read also: Private vaccination scheme begins at Jababeka
Kimia Farma said the firm was not looking for financial benefit from the privately paid inoculation program. The firm's acting president director Agus Chandra said on Sunday that the company was aiming to support the government’s efforts to vaccinate the public, as there was a demand for self-paid individual vaccination.
