President Joko Widodo on Monday called for mass production of PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test kits by domestic enterprises in the country for diagnosing COVID-19 infections.

Aside from PCR test kits, the President also pushed for domestically made ventilators for COVID-19 patients and meeting the demand on the ground.

"I have received reports from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education that (we) have successfully developed PCR test kits, Non-PCR Diagnostic Tests, and ventilators as well as mobile BSL 2 (mobile laboratory biosafety level 2). I ask for the innovations that have been found to be mass-produced," he said while opening a limited meeting on the acceleration of COVID-19 handling, held on Monday via video conferencing from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

Through domestic supply, Indonesia can reduce the importation of health equipment for COVID-19 handling, the President said.

He set a deadline of late May or early June this year to begin mass production of medical devices being developed by the Ministry/National Research and Innovation Agency.

President Jokowi also requested that blood plasma testing for COVID-19 patient therapy be continued. Blood plasma therapy is now entering large-scale clinical trials in several hospitals in Indonesia.

He also called for the development of stem cell therapy, or the replacement of damaged body cells, especially in the lung organs of COVID-19 patients.

"Significant progress has also been made in research on genome sequencing. This is a very important step towards the next stage to find a vaccine that is suitable for our country," Jokowi said.

The President requested all levels of ministries and institutions to fully support all research and innovation in the handling of COVID-19.

He requested that the process of licensing medical devices related to COVID-19 be accelerated. In addition, the production process must also be connected to the industry, for ease of production, he said. (ANTARA)