Head of dissemination and information section of the Surakarta City customs and excise office, Aries Baroto, said that his office has released the 200 oxygen tanks that were received on Saturday (July 17).
Singapore's grant was noted in the Ministry of Finance's Regulation Number 92/PMK.02/2021, in accordance with the provision of customs and excise and taxation facilities for imports of goods needed for COVID-19 response, he added.
"Based on the regulation, these oxygen tanks were freed from import duty and ruled out from import tax (PDRI)," Baroto explained.
The customs and excise office coordinated with several stakeholders, including Gapura, Angkasa Pura Logistic, and Surakarta's health services, to finalize the process, he informed.
"We received the cargo charter flight on July 16, 2021 at 4.45 p.m; then, we continued to supervise the oxygen tanks' unloading when the plane arrived on Saturday (July 17) at 12.50 p.m.," he said.
The oxygen tanks were taken to Adi Soemarmo Airport's temporary storage area (TPS) at 2.30 p.m. on Saturday, Baroto said, adding he and his team will coordinate their distribution with Surakarta's health services.
He said he hoped that with the support and coordination from all stakeholders, the grant would help hospitals handle COVID-19 patients.
"We are committed to support this matter and ready to roll out the tanks as soon as possible without violating applicable regulations," he remarked.
Meanwhile, head of Surakarta's health service, Siti Wahyuningsih, lauded all stakeholders for their help and support amid the current pandemic situation.
"These oxygen tanks will be very useful for (tackling) this current condition. We thank all parties involved, especially Shopee from Singapore, for sending the support," Wahyuningsih said.
The oxygen tanks will be distributed to 15 hospitals handling COVID-19 patients in Surakarta, she added.
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Translator: Aris Wasita, Resinta Sulistiya
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
