We will also provide a total of Rp300 million for compensation in case of death.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government has readied monthly financial incentive of Rp5 million-Rp15 million to be offered to medical workers on the frontline in the fight against the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated.

"Yesterday, we held a meeting and decided that after the finance minister calculated the figure, we will provide a monthly incentive for medical workers," the president stated here on Monday after a visit to the Athlete Village in Kemayoran, Jakarta, that has been readied to serve as an emergency hospital for COVID-19 patients.

Medical specialists will receive Rp15 million; physicians and dentists, Rp10 million; nurses, Rp7.5 million; and other medical staff members, Rp5 million, he added.

"We will also provide compensation totaling Rp300 million in the event of a death. This only applies to regions that have declared a state of emergency,” Jokowi clarified.

As many as nine provinces, districts, and municipalities -- Jakarta, Depok, Yogyakarta, Bogor, East Java, Banten, East Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, and West Java -- have declared an emergency disaster status due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government has prepared funding of Rp118.3 trillion to Rp121.3 trillion to handle the COVID-19 outbreak that is sourced from reallocating Rp62.3 trillion of budget expenditure for ministries and institutions and budget for regional allocation and village fund amounting to Rp56 trillion-Rp59 trillion.

Of the total budget, Rp38 trillion is allocated for education, health, and social safety net program while Rp6.1 trillion for insurance for medical workers involved in handling COVID-19 crisis.

As of Sunday (March 22), Indonesia had 514 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 48 deaths. Some 29 patients have recovered, while 437 others are still receiving medical treatment.

In Jakarta, the number of COVID-19 positive cases has reached 307; 59 in West Java; 47 in Banten; 41 in East Java; 15 in Central Java; nine in East Kalimantan; five in Yogyakarta; four in Riau Islands; three each in Bali and Southeast Sulawesi; two each in North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, and Papua; and one each in Riau, Lampung, South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, and Maluku. Related news: Jokowi condoles deaths of medical workers from COVID-19
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Translator: Desca Lidya N, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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