The funding will help Indonesia distribute vaccines in an effective and safe way. It will also strengthen the resilience of the Indonesian health system and increase the capacity in making response during and after the pandemic.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The World Bank’s board of executive directors has approved US$500 million, or 7 trillion Indonesian rupiahs, in funding to support Indonesia’s COVID-19 response, strengthen health system preparedness, and support the free vaccination program.



"The funding will help Indonesia distribute vaccines in an effective and safe way. It will also strengthen the resilience of the Indonesian health system and increase the capacity in making response during and after the pandemic," World Bank director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Satu Kahkonen, said in Jakarta on Friday.



The new funding will use a yield-based approach to drive the use of government systems and augment previous funding used to support capacity-building with regard to patient isolation, critical treatment facilities, testing capacity, public risk communication, control and preparedness to face the pandemic, she elaborated.



“The World Bank’s support coupled with support from other international development partners will strengthen various efforts made by the Indonesian government to curb the impact of the pandemic efficiently and improve the healthcare system and services,” she said.


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In addition, the funding will help improve the preparedness of hospitals and the health service system and ensure the continuity of basic health services not related to COVID-19, with special attention to the needs of women and vulnerable groups, Kahkonen informed.



Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin assured the funding would strengthen the health system to address the COVID-19 pandemic and provide support to affected people.



"In addition to supporting the government's free vaccination program to reach all adult populations, the funding will help Indonesia’s health system become more resilient and strengthen the control system through testing and tracing of new COVID-19 cases, including applying genome supervision for various new variants," he said. (INE)


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