VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo launched the self-funded Gotong Royong vaccination campaign. (ANTARA/HO) - 

The launch of the self-funded Gotong Royong vaccination campaign on May 18, 2021, witnessed by President Joko Widodo at PR Unilever Indonesia complex, Bekasi, West Java, is expected to expedite national efforts to contain COVID-19.

Supported by private and state-owned companies, the Gotong Royong program is seen as crucial for helping the government achieve the target of inoculating 181.5 million people to build herd immunity against the coronavirus.Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, said that at least 22,736 private companies have signed up for the program as of May 17, 2021.

Based on the Indonesian Health Ministry's Regulation No.10/2021 on the Gotong Royong Vaccination Scheme, all vaccine costs will be borne by participating companies under the program.

President Widodo said he is optimistic that once workers begin receiving the self-funded Gotong Royong vaccines, the number of vaccine recipients could reach 70 million by September, 2021.

"We expect to be able to vaccinate 70 million citizens by this August or no later than September (2021),” he said.

Widodo said he also hopes to see the COVID curve flattening during the August-September period and normalcy being restored in industrial productivity.The government-funded vaccination program is using Sinovax vaccines bought from China and AstraZeneca vaccines received through the WHO-coordinated COVAX Facility.

Meanwhile, State-owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir has said that his ministry has no plans to commercialize COVID-19 vaccines.

"Regarding prices, from the beginning, we in the SOE Ministry have been very open. We are not thinking about commercializing the COVID-19 vaccines," Thohir said at a press conference on May 19, 2021.

Indonesia has so far secured 54 million vaccine doses free of cost through the World Health Organization (WHO) and spent nearly Rp77 trillion on procuring additional vaccine doses to cater to the large population of the country, which are being distributed free of charge//ANT