The government must be present in regulating the prices of COVID-19 vaccines and not leave it to market mechanismJakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's House of Representatives (DPR RI) Commission VI member Mahfudz Abdurrahman urged the government to ensure that vaccine prices are not left to market mechanisms to deter rent-seeking practices in vaccine supply.
"The government must be present in regulating the prices of COVID-19 vaccines and not leave it to market mechanism, so that the prices of COVID-19 vaccines do not burden the public," Abdurrahman noted in a written statement here on Monday.
The government should be able to prevent the practice of rent-seekers in the supply of vaccines on account of the large number of vaccine users for which the government does not bear the expenses, according to Abdurrahman.
Furthermore, the government should ensure that vaccines to be administered to the community are safe and lawful in addition to not being burdensome to people, who have borne the economic brunt of the prolonged pandemic.
The DPR RI Commission VI member emphasized that the government should also ensure sound coordination between technical ministries for the supply of vaccines.
"Good coordination between technical ministries is expected to yield the right decisions in the provision of COVID-19 vaccines, so that it can ably meet the requirements of 107 million people," he stated.
The COVID-19 vaccines will target 107 million people, of which 75 million must pay for their vaccines and 32 million would be covered by the government.
Spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccination from the Ministry of Health Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi had earlier stated that the government had, until now, not set a price for the COVID-19 vaccine, so the public was urged to await an official announcement.
"The information currently circulating cannot be used as a reference, and we urge the public to wait for the official government announcement regarding the vaccine and vaccination against COVID-19," she remarked.
In accordance with Health Minister’s Decree Number 9860 of 2020, the government has determined six types of COVID-19 vaccines to be used in Indonesia, specifically vaccines produced by Bio Farma, AstraZeneca, Sinopharm, Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Sinovac.
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Translator: M Razi Rahman, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati
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