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)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) highlighted three aspects of specimen testing, handling the return of migrant workers, and expediting the production of medical equipment and COVID-19 medications to accelerate the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

Jokowi made the statement while opening a limited videoconferencing meeting on accelerating the handling of the COVID-19 Pandemic from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Monday.

In connection with the total improvement in the speed of testing PCR specimens, the head of state had received a report that showed the current capacity to test four to five thousand samples per day for PCR.

President Jokowi believed that the figure was still far from his previously stipulated target of 10 thousand specimens per day.

"According to data from the Task Force, 104 laboratories are currently included in the COVID-19 lab network. I want to ensure that the labs are functioning optimally, although of the 104 labs, 53 referral labs have already conducted examinations, and 51 referral labs have yet to conduct examinations," he stated.

The head of state realized the need for greater attention to be paid for training human resources as well as the lack of test equipment, including for PCR, RNA, and VTM reagents, which he sought for this week.

The second aspect concerns the return of Indonesian migrant workers, which he emphasized should be conducted properly on the field.

"I received reports that the work contracts of some 34 thousand Indonesian migrant workers will end in May and June, and some 8,900 came from East Java, 7,400 from Central Java, 5,800 from West Java, 4,200 from West Nusa Tenggara, and around 2,800 workers from North Sumatra, 1,800 from Lampung, and 500 from Bali," he noted.

The president called to take pertinent precautionary measures to handle their return and arrival at the country's entry points in line with the procedures, including to trace their movements until they reach their hometowns.

The entry points that the president highlighted include the two air entrances of the Soekarno Hatta Airport and Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, as well as the seaports that often become the entry points for ship crews, including those in Bali, and Tanjung Priok. In the meantime, migrant workers from Malaysia are expected to enter from Batam and Tanjung Balai.

"I would like to once again emphasize the application of strict health protocols by mobilizing our resources and ensuring quarantine locations and referral hospitals for our migrant workers," he remarked.

The third aspect concerns the report Jokowi had received from the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency that had successfully developed PCR test kits, non-PCR diagnostic tests, as well as ventilators and mobile BSL 2.

"I call for the mass production of these innovations, so we no longer need to depend on imported products from other countries," he stated.

Furthermore, the president is optimistic that the production process would commence by May-end or start of June this year.

The head of state conceded to have witnessed significant advancements in plasma testing. Large-scale clinical tests are planned at several hospitals coupled with “stem cell” procedures to replace damaged lung tissue.

The president also witnessed advancements in research on genome sequencing that is a crucial step to finding a COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia.

"I call for all research and innovation results to be fully supported by state-owned enterprises and the private sector," the president noted. (ANTARA)

Jakarta (VOI News) - At least 734 Indonesian Citizens (WNI) were exposed to Covid-19 abroad according to data per Sunday (10/5). The Indonesian citizens are spread in 33 countries/territories and 20 cruise ships. It was stated by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi during a virtual press conference at the Graha National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in Jakarta, Monday (11/05). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the Republic of Indonesia representatives abroad and local state/territory authorities to ensure that all Indonesian citizens exposed receive adequate health services in accordance with the local regulations. In this case, Retno also acknowledged that the magnitude of cases of protection of Indonesian citizens abroad during COVID-19 was unprecedented. Retno Marsudi promised, the government would continue to work to improve the protection of Indonesian citizens.

"The Government of the Republic of Indonesia and all Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia abroad have and will continue to increase efforts to protect Indonesian citizens as much as possible," said Minister Retno Marsudi.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi further said, in order to alleviate the most affected and most needy Indonesian citizens, the government had and would continue to provide food aid and other health needs assistance. She appreciated the initiatives of various Indonesian communities overseas who worked hand in hand with Indonesian representatives abroad in providing assistance to the most vulnerable and most affected citizens of the COVID-19 pandemic. (VOI / AHM edit r)

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin delivered an online speech to students at his residence in Jakarta on Sunday. ANTARA/HO-Vice Presidential Secretariat

Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin confirmed that the Indonesian government had readied several development programs to support the country's recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic that led the government to amend the focus of development in 2020.

"We have begun preparing recovery programs to return the country to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic scenario in accordance with the priorities we have drafted and launched," Amin noted in a written statement released on Monday.

The recovery programs will lay emphasis on economic sectors that bore the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, he remarked.

"(The programs) will prioritize sectors that have suffered the deeper impact of the pandemic, such as the economic sector, including medium-and large-sized businesses and micro and small businesses," he noted in his Ramadhan online speech to the Association of Indonesian Students (PPI).

Furthermore, the government will direct its attention to the handling of the poor since the COVID-19 pandemic had increased their number that is estimated to reach up to 40 percent of the population, he stated.

"We must make efforts to meet their needs and empower them to reduce the number of poor people in Indonesia," he noted.

Several countries have imposed an emergency policy to avert the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and economic sectors. Indonesia has aligned the focus of its development to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The COVID-19 pandemic goes beyond our capability. It has affected not only the health sector or human lives but also the social and economic sectors, including in our country," he pointed out. (ANTARA)