VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations for the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, at an online press conference in Jakarta on Friday (July 9, 2021). (ANTARA/Prisca Triferna) - 

The Indonesian government is working to increase the production of medical oxygen and ensure the availability of coronavirus drugs, spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations for the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said.

"We have received a commitment from the Ministry of Industry so that the conversion of industrial gas to medical oxygen is given up to 90 percent," she said at a press conference on the implementation of emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) in Jakarta on Friday.

The oxygen production capacity in Indonesia is 866 thousand tons per year, with annual production utilization pegged at 638,900 tons, of which 75 percent is used by industry and only 25 percent is used for medical purposes, she pointed out.

Through the conversion of industrial oxygen for medical use, the amount of oxygen that can be obtained to meet national needs is 575 thousands tons, Tarmizi said.

For now, the existing oxygen capacity will be maximized in seven provinces in Java-Bali due to the increase in COVID-19 cases by 6-8 times in the areas, she added.

Based on data from the Ministry of Health, currently the total need for oxygen for intensive care and isolation of COVID-19 patients has reached 1,928 tons/day, while the available capacity is 2,262 tons/day.

Thus, it is targeted that the Java-Bali region can be supplied 2,262 tons of oxygen per day, Tarmizi said.

The need for medical grade oxygen has soared with the increase in COVID-19 cases, she added.

The scarcity of oxygen in some areas is more due to the distribution chain that is not yet optimal, she disclosed.

The government's strategy to overcome this problem is to increase the supply of oxygen and strive for faster distribution to areas with high cases, she said.

In addition to meeting oxygen needs through domestic industries, the government has received assistance from the governments of Singapore, Australia, and China in the form of ventilators, empty oxygen cylinders, and oxygen concentrators, she added.

The Indonesian government is also working to ensure the availability of COVID-19 therapeutic drugs and is continuing to coordinate with the pharmaceutical industry to scale up production, the spokesperson said.

The Ministry of Health is regularly coordinating with the pharmaceutical industry and its distribution networks to monitor the availability of drugs for handling COVID-19, in accordance with the 3rd edition of COVID-19 management guidelines, published in December, 2020, she informed.

"In the event of a supply bottleneck for imports from abroad, the Ministry of Health coordinates with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant ministries to help resolve the supply bottleneck," she said.

The availability of drugs related to COVID-19 in the pharmaceutical industry and wholesalers as of July 9, 2021 stands at 3.2 million favipiravir units, 11 thousand remdesivir injections, 157 thousand oseltamivir units, 2.4 million oral azithromycin units, 163 thousand azithromycin infusion units, 543 tocilizumab infusion units, 7 thousand intravenous immunoglobulin units, and 237 thousand ivermectin units, she disclosed.

According to Tarmizi, the availability of medicines for COVID-19 is constantly being increased and their production is being boosted to ensure their availability on the field.

The Ministry of Health has also reviewed the increase in drug prices and has issued a Minister of Health Decree Number HK.07.07/Menkes/4826/2021 to regulate the highest retail price (HET) for drugs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.

"Let us collaborate with each other and support each other. People also must not panic by buying excessively both drugs and other infrastructure in order to maintain a balance and availability of drugs, especially for those in need," she added//ANT

A medical worker treats a COVID-19 patient at a drop zone in an emergency unit of Dr Soedono General Hospital in Madiun, East Java. (Antara/HO-Diskominfo Kota Madiun/ Lr) - 

The Indonesian government has paid Rp10.6 trillion towards the settlement of medical bills of COVID-19 patients as of June 30, 2021, a Finance Ministry official has said.

The amount disbursed has reached 100 percent of the first phase ceiling for this year, chief of the fiscal policy board at the Finance Ministry, Febrio Kacaribu, disclosed at an online discussion in Jakarta on Friday.

"The settlement of claims (from hospitals) for COVID-19 patients has been improved so it can be done more quickly," he said.

The mechanism for settling claims and disputes has been improved through the Health Minister's Decree No. HK.01.07/MENKES/4718/2021 concerning technical guide to reimbursing the treatment expenses of COVID-19 patients at COVID-19 hospitals, he added.

To clear hospital bills of COVID-19 patients in the second phase, the government needs Rp11.97 trillion, Kacaribu said.

The arrears of the 2020 medical bills for COVID-19 patients, amounting to Rp5.6 trillion, have been settled this year, he informed.

The claims and disputes settlement team will aid the settlement of the second tranche of last year's arrears of COVID-19 patients' medical bills, amounting to Rp2.69 trillion, he said.

The 2020 arrears of incentives and compensations for 200,506 medical workers have been pegged at Rp1.34 trillion, or 90.8 percent, based on an assessment by the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP). 

The incentives awarded to 323,486 medical workers this year amounted to Rp2.6 trillion, while death compensation for 166 medical workers reached Rp49.8 billion, Kacaribu said//ANT

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan. He is also acting as coordinator for the emergency public activity restrictions in Java and Bali. (ANTARA/HO-Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment) - 

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has sought the direct distribution of vaccines and social aid among the people.

The minister, who is serving as the coordinator for the emergency public activity restrictions (PPKM) in Java and Bali, made the request during a meeting reviewing vaccinations, the implementation of mobility restrictions, and the optimization of military facilities for self-isolation and reinforcements, held virtually on Friday.

"I ask for regional police and military chiefs to carry out patrols in the outskirts areas. Vaccinations can be distributed directly there in the area," Pandjaitan said in a statement received here on Friday.

In the month of July, 2021, Indonesia will have an additional 46 million COVID-19 vaccine doses and they will be distributed to those living in the outlying and slum areas that do not have access to health facilities, he informed.

He further said that he had asked the military and police forces to identify marginal locations in each area and ensure the availability of food, especially rice.

"This is micro-targeted. Vaccines, medicines, and social aid in the form of rice for those in the outskirts area -- these need to be carried out," the minister said, adding that access to food in such areas needs to be ensured.

He also asked all ministers present at the meeting to carry out their response, in accordance with their respective fields and duties in regard to the report delivered by the military and police chiefs in each area.

Meanwhile, Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir affirmed his support for the directive.

"I will go on a video conference call with the Minister of Health in regard to the matter, and for rice support, we will cooperate with the logistics agency (Bulog)," he said.

Similarly, Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini, said that she will distribute social assistance packages to people with the help of the police and military forces. A total of 1,500 packages will be distributed in every 100 cities/districts, she added.

She further said that officers on the ground will have the sanction to propose additional packages should they be needed//ANT

Rohika, assistant to PPPA ministry's deputy for fulfillment of children's rights to parenting and the environment - 

The number of child marriage dispensations tripled in Indonesia in 2020 compared to the previous year, according to the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA).

"Marriage dispensation is when the prospective groom and bride are under 19 years old. In 2020, there was a three-fold increase (in child marriages)," Rohika, assistant to the ministry's deputy for fulfillment of children's rights to parenting and the environment, said at an online press conference here on Friday.

According to data processed by the Religious Affairs Courts Agency (Badilag) of the Supreme Court, the number of child marriage dispensation decisions in 2020 reached 63,383 compared to 23,145 in 2019 .

Rohika said Indonesia was included in the list of top ten countries with the highest child marriages in the world.

Therefore, intervention is needed to address the problem, which is prevalent in a number of provinces in Indonesia, she remarked.

The PPPA ministry is facing several challenges in efforts to achieve the national target to reduce the child marriage rate to 8.74 percent by 2024, Rohika informed.

They include risk behaviors on part of Indonesian youth, who do not understand the impact and risks of child marriage, she pointed out. In addition, some parents and religious and traditional leaders do not understand the child protection rights, she added. 

Besides, local communities still use religious and cultural interpretations to justify the practice of child marriage, Rohika said. Furthermore, relevant regulations need technical elaborations to avoid uncertainty in their implementation by stakeholders, she added.

"Stakeholders do not understand the regulations, there are still many who do not know about the dispensation for marriage and child marriage," she said.

According to Rohika, there needs to be a change in the mindset to change the tradition of child marriage, which has been continuously legitimized by the community.

The country is also lacking in providing referral services to children at risk of child marriage, she added.

"There are not many outreach services for children who are forced or vulnerable to forced marriage. Commitment to coordinating services is important in this regard," she remarked//ANT