Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin noted in his statement received here on Thursday that Indonesia had received assistance worth a total of US$1.75 billion from MDBs for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The fund was provided in 2020-2023 with the Program for Result (PforR) as the financing instrument.
"The funds were used to control the COVID-19 pandemic for one year and nine months, mostly to accelerate vaccination, pay for health care services and health worker incentives," Sadikin remarked.
In addition to these funds, Minister Sadikin revealed that his side also received a massive health budget to overcome the pandemic. The government's health budget was set at Rp280 trillion (US$17.6 billion) in 2021, Rp230 trillion (US$14.4 billion) in 2022, and Rp198 trillion (US$12.4 billion) in 2023.
He said that the emergency assistance was very impactful in helping Indonesia get out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Indonesia has entered the endemic era since June 21, 2023.
"This is a momentum for the recovery of the economic sector alongside the health sector," he remarked.
The minister said that the country learned a lot from the pandemic, such as easy access to health services and the need for emergency funding during pandemic events.
From that experience, the Ministry of Health is committed to preparing for the next potential pandemic by carrying out a six-pillar health transformation that has been implemented since 2021.
"We are learning to prepare for the next pandemic. We have received a grant of US$1.75 billion from the World Bank, (and the fund) is managed by the Finance Ministry. I hope that the funds can be used as well as possible for Indonesia's health development in future," he affirmed.
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Translator: Sean M, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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