Indonesia may allow private sector to buy and distribute Covid-19 vaccines

 

 

Editors Commnents:

Light at End of Tunnel Gets Brighter:

As I forecast earlier this year it appears that it's only going to  get better and better regarding COVID - 19 in the world and in Bali.

We know that there are at least five vaccines that are proven to be active against COVID - 19 .

Supply Of Vaccines Not The Problem:

As was pointed out when Pres. Biden took office yesterday the problem is not the supply of the vaccine but the distribution in America and throughout the world.

It takes an enormous amount of time and money to secure vaccines and then distribute them and of course they would be useless unless they are used to inoculate the population.

Nobody can deny the fact that the sooner that the world's population is inoculated the faster COVID - 19 becomes history.

"The sooner that the world's population is inoculated the faster COVID - 19 becomes history.

In Indonesia the daunting task is to inoculate the fourth largest population in the world spread over thousands of Islands.

The Indonesian government under Presdient Jokowi has already been generous with distributing funds to individuals and companies to try to dampen the difficult times.

I'm sure now one of their problems is having enough money in the budget to secure ample supplies of vaccines and then pay for free inoculations of the population as they have expressed before.

 Private Companies to Buy and Distribute Covid-19 vaccines

So now there's news that the government may allow private Companies to purchase and distribute the vaccines as well as the inoculations to those who can afford it.

Many will immediately say all it's only going to be good for the rich and they will be the first ones to be inoculated. And you may be right.

But remember the goal is to inoculate everybody as soon as possible.

If we rely only on the government's limited resources to do so it could take some time.

So what's wrong with the milddle to upper income citizens  paying for their own purchase of the vaccines and their own inoculations?

That takes that burden off the government allowing more money for faster purchase and distibution of vaccines and inoculations to the lower income populations.

After all in normal times we are responsible to pay for our own medicines and medical care. So what's wrong with that.

Those that can afford it will pay for their own so that they don't have to rely on government funds, which by the way are provided by everyone who pays taxes.

So I'm all for doctor's, pharmacies and perhaps even other businesses obtaining the vaccine, setting up inoculation centers for those who want to pay for it immediately.

 Hopefully Not Too Expensive:

By the way they don't expect it will be super expensive, perhaps no more expensive than a cost now for a PCR test around Rp 500 to Rp 800,000. But don't quote me on that because that's just my estimate based on what I have read so far.

I recommend that the companies that do purchase and distribute the vaccine privately show community support by paying the government 20% of any gross profits they earn on private distribution of Covid 19 vaccines. 

That money should be paid into a specific government account that can only be used to purchase and distribute the vaccines to lower income families.

Again I repeat, anything that facilitates faster inoculations across Indonesia will be a help, especially if it doesn't require government finances or personnel.

A Medical officer is injected with a Covid-19 vaccine by a nurse at RSUD hospital in Bogor, on Jan 14, 2021.PHOTO: EPA-EFE

PublishedJan 14, 2021, 7:57 pm SGT

JAKARTA (REUTERS) - Indonesia may allow companies to procure their own Covid-19 vaccines, the country's health minister said on Thursday (Jan 14), as an influential business chamber called for members to be able to inoculate staff or sell vaccines to the public.

The South-east Asian country launched a mass immunisation campaign targeting more than 180 million people this week to help tackle one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in Asia.

Medical and security personnel are first in line for the vaccine, but Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told Parliament that companies may be allowed to procure vaccines and vaccinate their staff, and thereby reduce the burden on the state.

"It shouldn't start now, but later, after the government has provided mandatory vaccines for health and public workers," he said, noting no final decision had been made and that the authorities wanted to avoid being seen as prioritising the rich.

Indonesia currently buys and distributes vaccines for free at an estimated cost of about US$5.3 billion (S$7 billion).

The head of Indonesia's business chamber said it had requested that some companies be allowed to import approved vaccines or buy government supplies to immunise staff or for sale.

"It's like going to the Disneyland... If you want to go faster, there's a priority pass, but you must pay more," Mr Rosan Roeslani said, adding that businesses had already established links with vaccine producers such as Russia's Sputnik V as well as others approved by the World Health Organisation.

He denied it was a privilege for the rich since the cost per injection could be below the current price for a private Covid-19 swab test.

Mr Jahja Setiaatmadja, chief executive of one of Indonesia's biggest lenders, Bank Central Asia, said that if the plan were approved, the bank would like to procure vaccines for staff.

Ms Marsha Dyas, a 30-year-old Jakarta resident, also welcomed the idea of being able to buy a specific vaccine from a provider.

But Mr Andreas Harsono, Indonesia researcher for Human Rights Watch, warned a "private vaccination programme will create the risk that the poorest and most vulnerable in the outer islands will be trampled in the stampede for vaccines".

More on this topic
Indonesian president Jokowi receives Covid-19 jab, starting national vaccination drive

Indonesia grants emergency use approval to Sinovac's vaccine, local trials show 65% efficacy