"Children affected by COVID-19 receive assistance in the form of money, which is directly transferred from the Ministry of Social Affairs, every month," acting head of the Surabaya City Population Control, Women Empowerment, and Child Protection Service, Antiek Sugiharti, said on Friday.
The Surabaya city government has made interventions for 1,258 children affected by COVID-19, starting from the provision of assistance related to population administration, health, food, and education, she said.
For the 1,258 children affected by COVID-19, the local government has intervened in terms of civil administration issues related to issuing child cards, managing parents' death certificates, and family cards (KK), she added.
"Children who are above 17 years old can have their own KK. But we need to process KK for children under 17 years old since they no longer live with their late parents. The progress has finished around 90 percent," Sugiharti informed.
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The children have also received food assistance from the city government and the Social Affairs Ministry, she said.
The Surabaya government has also provided health insurance to the children through the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), Sugiharti said. If the medical expenses of the children were previously covered by their parents' office, they would now be financed by the city government, she added.
"The BPJS Kesehatan insurance for those children has been 99 percent done," she said.
The local government will also cover the education costs of children at the elementary, junior high school, high school / vocational school, and university level, she disclosed.
"If they are in public schools, of course, they do not need tuition fees. But we are facilitating their daily expenses," she added.
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Translator: Abdul Hakim, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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