VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The number of Indonesians receiving the third dose or first booster of the COVID-19 vaccine rose by 41,117 to reach 68,014,914 as of Tuesday afternoon, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force reported.

According to data received from the task force in Jakarta, an additional 11,900 people got the first dose on Tuesday, taking the total number of first-dose recipients to 203,924,746.

The data also showed that the number of people receiving the second dose increased by 15,469 to 174,616,077.

Meanwhile, 4,813 more Indonesians received the fourth dose or second booster, bringing the total number of second booster recipients to 1,100,943.

The government has set itself the target of administering the COVID-19 vaccine to 234,666,020 people as part of efforts to build herd immunity against the disease that affects the human respiratory system.

The task force also reported that the country added 1,297 COVID-19 infections on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the number of patients recovering from COVID-19 rose by 2,781 and the number of patients succumbing to the virus increased by 27.

Earlier, the Health Ministry issued a circular letter asking regional governments to prepare for the mobilization of people during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

"Since the 2022 Christmas and 2023 New Year celebrations are still in the COVID-19 pandemic, health authorities need to go on standby to prevent and control COVID-19 disease," Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in Jakarta on Tuesday.  (Antaranews)

Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Bintang Puspayoga has urged Indonesian women to become independent, empowered, and resilient.

"For women throughout Indonesia, be an independent woman, be a strong woman. Keep working, innovating, and being creative," she said at the “Women’s Inspiration Fest Awarding Night” in Jakarta on Monday, according to a statement received the same day.

This is important in the midst of inequality in access and participation that many women's groups still face.

In addition, women, who make up nearly 50 percent of Indonesia's population, are the support and foundation of the state from a social and economic perspective.

Minister Puspayoga highlighted the need for making more significant efforts to recognize women's contributions.

According to her, Indonesian women have become more advanced in thinking, working, and making real contributions to their surroundings, so their potential must also receive support from all parties.

"When we talk about women's contributions, this is actually extraordinary. Indonesian women are great and extraordinary women, there is no term that is impossible and cannot be done by women, as long as they are given the opportunity," the minister said.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani lauded the contribution of women at the ‘Women's Inspiration Fest’ competition in which many women won photo and writing competitions in various categories.

"As women leaders, we must help and support Indonesian women to work together to build the nation and the state. Apart from that, as women leaders, we must work harder to prove that we (women) are capable," Maharani said.

Equal participation of women and men is key for the welfare of a nation, deputy for gender equality at the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Lenny N. Rosalin, said earlier.

"Equal and full participation of women and men is the key to the welfare and success of a nation," she observed during a national webinar on "Optimizing Women's Potential in Entrepreneurship with a Gender Perspective,” which was followed from here last Tuesday.

Based on an analysis by the McKinsey Global Institute, Indonesia can increase its gross domestic product (GDP) by US$135 billion per year by 2025 if women's economic participation is increased, Rosalin pointed out.

For this reason, efforts to empower women in the economic field need to be strengthened, she said.

Based on data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in 2019, there were a total of 65.5 million business units in Indonesia. Of the number, 99.99 percent were micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"More than half of those MSME players were women," she highlighted.

Indonesian MSMEs contribute around 61 percent to the total GDP and absorb 97 percent of the workforce in the country. In addition, they account for 60 percent of the total investment in the country.

"If we do this (women's economic empowerment) simultaneously and jointly, I think in 2025, we can increase our GDP," Rosalin said.

It is believed that women who are economically empowered can become a part of the solution for issues affecting women and children, she added.

"If the economy is advanced, their children can be sent to higher education. They (children) can be provided with better nutrition so that stunting can be suppressed. Compulsory education can be increased up to 12 years, and finally, the quality of human resources can also improve," she explained. (antaranews)

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno has said that his ministry will focus on ensuring the safety and security of foreign and domestic tourists during the Christmas and New Year holidays.

"Regarding Christmas and New Year, it (the focus) has shifted. If, last year, the focus was the readiness in health (aspect), this time, still in the CHSE (Cleanliness, Health, Safety, Environment, Sustainability) concept, the focus is on safety and security," he said at the Presidential Palace here on Monday.

Uno made the statement after attending a limited meeting on the preparations for Christmas and New Year, which was led by President Joko Widodo.

"Therefore, tourism facilities, tourist attractions, and creative economy centers must ensure the safety and security so that tourists, whose number is predicted to reach more than 40 million, can carry out tourism activities safely, comfortably, and of course, pleasantly," he said.

According to him, the preparations for Christmas and New Year holidays have reached the final stage, and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will ensure that tourism and creative economy activities run safely, comfortably, and pleasantly during the holiday period.

The minister also informed that events, including music concerts, will be allowed to take place to push the economy and open business and job opportunities in the country.

There has been an increase in the length of stay of foreign tourists, whose number so far has reached 3.6 million, Uno noted.

"The length of stay has moved from an average of three days before the pandemic to above ten days now," he said.

He further noted that this could have a positive impact on the economy, with tourism revenue now expected to reach above the target of US$1.7 billion to around US$6 billion.  (anraeanews)

The Ministry of Health and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are working with several hospitals to strengthen the integrated information system for identifying tuberculosis (TB).

"We can handle TB in Indonesia thoroughly with cross-sectoral support and synergy, including through hospitals that have extensive networks in regions, such as Siloam Hospitals and other private hospitals that have been recognized. The (TB) handling also needs support from the community," the ministry's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control Maxi Rein Rondonuwu noted in a statement on Monday.

Rondonuwu remarked that TB could be handled maximally through cross-sectoral synergy and cooperation.

Deputy Director of the USAID Health Office for Indonesia, David Stanton, deemed it crucial to address the problem of unidentified TB cases.

According to Stanton, the private sector plays a key role in supporting Indonesia's goal of identifying TB patients.

A strong health information system is essential to ensure that all TB patients are reported and receive quality TB treatment.

Stanton explained that the United States, through USAID, supports the Health Ministry's ONE HEALTH integrated health information system vision by connecting hospitals' information systems with the TB information system. The system allows TB cases to be reported and treated.

Siloam Hospitals, as a health service with 41 hospital networks, is also committed to the synergy of cooperation with the Ministry of Health by connecting hospital information systems with the TB information system to accelerate TB elimination.

The commitment is realized through the Cooperation Agreement for Strengthening Tuberculosis Control Implementation with Managements of Big Chain Hospitals.

Director of Siloam Hospitals, Grace F. Indradjaja, stated that from all of its hospital networks, Siloam Hospitals had treated over three thousand TB patients, and 10 thousand TB patients are currently undergoing outpatient treatment.

"Technically, the most (frequent) TB treatment problem handled by Siloam Hospitals is the handling of TB drugs because, on average, patients do not take drugs regularly," she remarked.

In 2021, as many as 443,235 confirmed TB cases were reported in Indonesia, and in children, the figure stood at 42,187 cases. (antaranews)