"We urge Bio Farma to continue to coordinate and synergize with domestic stakeholders in establishing international collaborations related to diplomacy and vaccine supply, vaccine development diplomacy related to research collaboration and technology transfer, and diplomacy in the supply of medicine and medical equipment," Suratto noted in a release on Monday.
Taking into account the current state of COVID-19, the Commission's Foreign Diplomacy Working Committee related to COVID-19 Handling deems it is necessary to oversee diplomacy over the pandemic.
This encompasses reviewing health diplomacy policies, especially in the procurement of vaccines, Suratto noted.
Suratto stated that the working committee had visited PT Bio Farma on September 10, 2021, to observe its's role as Indonesia's pharmaceutical holding company in implementing vaccine diplomacy to fulfill domestic requirements.
From the visit, Anton noted that Commission I lauded the diplomatic efforts of the pharmaceutical holding PT Bio Farma in dealing with COVID-19 in Indonesia.
However, the working committee drew attention to problems and obstacles in the procurement and distribution of vaccines, including dependence on raw materials for medicine and vaccines, including medical devices and diplomacy in monitoring prices and supply of vaccines and coordination with local governments for distribution.
Meanwhile, member of DPR RI's Commission I Rachel Maryam Sayidina supported the development of the GX-19N vaccine by PT Kalbe Farma, Tbk along with a South Korean company, Genexine, to be offered as a national COVID-19 vaccine.
According to Sayidina, vaccination must be held repeatedly to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic.
"If we depend on foreign countries for our vaccine supply, of course, we will spend more money on foreign countries. If we can produce vaccine domestically, then our money will circulate here," she explained.
The DNA-based GX-19 vaccine is known to have several advantages, such as storage at 2-8 degrees Celsius, protection against new variants of COVID-19, safe for people with weak immune systems, and production of higher levels of antibodies.
President Director of PT Bio Farma Honesti Basyir had earlier stated that PT Bio Farma provides the Sinovac, AstraZeneca, and Novavax vaccines for supporting vaccine diplomacy efforts for the government's programs.
Other types of vaccines, such as Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca, are also imported by the government through grants or donations with bilateral and multilateral schemes, such as Covax and GaVI.
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Translator: M Razi R, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
