The government has a lot of work to do to equalize vaccination access to people across IndonesiaJakarta (ANTARA) - The government must involve the private sector further in the national vaccination program considering the limitations of existing public health capacity for administering third dose or booster vaccinations, a researcher has said.
"The private sector has the capacity to fill the distribution gap that hinders the COVID-19 vaccination program in Indonesia thus far," an associate researcher from the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (CIPS), Andree Surianta, noted.
In a written statement issued here on Wednesday, he said that if booster vaccines are only allowed in regions where second dose coverage has crossed 60 percent, then less than ten provinces would fulfill the criteria.
Health Ministry's data shows that only six provinces have second dose vaccination coverage above 50 percent: Jakarta, Bali, Yogyakarta, Riau, East Kalimantan, and Central Java, he noted.
The first dose vaccination coverage is above 50 percent in a majority of the provinces, except for Papua, where it has reached just 28.55 percent, he added.
"The government has a lot of work to do to equalize vaccination access to people across Indonesia," Surianta remarked.
The government, however, could equalize coverage by involving the private sector, he said.
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The private sector's involvement could help alleviate the load on the government's resources, which would allow the government to focus resources toward other interventions that are just as important for handling the pandemic, he explained.
Examples of such interventions include edifying the public on vaccines as well as bolstering the capacity of testing, tracking, and treatment, he said.
The private sector's resources could also be utilized to improve coverage in the vaccine supply chain, he added.
Moreover, the vast network of private hospitals is required for monitoring efforts and building immunity, Surianta said.
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In addition, limitations of the cold chain network in remote regions could be handled by utilizing cold chain technology that utilizes renewable energy, which is an innovation from the private sector, he pointed out.
"With this, the government could expand vaccination coverage more quickly," Surianta affirmed.
"Booster shots are important, but because they are limited to regions with high first dose and second dose coverage, the government should expand vaccinations in regions with low coverage," he added.
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Translator: Ade Irma Junida, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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