Ensure Access to Gotong Royong Vaccination Program

Each company must have access to the Gotong Royong vaccination program to help achieve herd immunity. However, vaccine prices have become an issue for several business players in the program.

Kompas

The Gotong Royong Vaccine began on Tuesday (18/5/2021). This vaccination is for employees at company expense.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – It is feared that the Gotong Royong vaccination program, slated to begin on Tuesday (18/5/2021), will fail to meet its target because several companies are struggling to afford it. The government has been urged to review the prices of the COVID-19 vaccines included in the program so that more companies are able to access them.

Indonesian Public Health Experts Association (IAKMI) chairman Ede Surya Darmawan said in Jakarta on Monday (17/5) that the Gotong Royong program was expected to help achieve herd immunity and control the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it was important that the vaccines be made affordable.

“Do not allow these vaccines to become privately owned, where only a handful of groups who have the money will be able to obtain them. The Gotong Royong program was not made only for large companies. Herd immunity will never be achieved this way,” he said.

Also read: Gearing up for Gotong Royong Vaccination Program

The Gotong Royong program is intended for employees and members of their families. Funds for the vaccinations are borne by the legal or business entity where the employee works.

The government has set the price of vaccination through the program at Rp 879,140. Specifically, the highest price of a vaccine per dose is Rp 321,660 and the highest tariff for vaccination services is Rp 117,910 per dose. This price does not include value-added tax. The vaccine currently being used for the program, the Sinopharm vaccine, must be administered in two doses.

The Gotong Royong program was not made only for large companies. Herd immunity will never be achieved this way.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) noted that from February to March of this year, 17,832 companies had registered for the program with nearly 8.6 million registered workers. The government has allocated 1 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine from the total commitment of 7.5 million doses of the vaccine.

Ede said that cross subsidies could be implemented for the Gotong Royong program so that the price of the vaccines could be adjusted according to a particular company’s ability. With a limited number of vaccines, the administration should be based on a priority scale.

According to him, the Gotong Royong program should be prioritized for employees at high risk of infection, such as employees whose work involves high mobility and encounters with many people. In addition, vaccinations must be carried out in high-risk zones.

According to ability

As many as 18 manufacturers are scheduled to carry out Gotong Royong vaccinations on Tuesday, with an allocation for 40,000 workers. They generally come from labor-intensive industries, such as the textile, food and beverage sectors and oil palm plantations.

These companies include Unilever Indonesia (3,000 doses), Mayora (5,000 doses), Kalbe Farma (3,000 doses), Toyota (3,000 doses), Coca Cola Bottling Indonesia (2,000 doses), Pan Brothers (1,000 doses), Astra Otoparts (1,000 doses) and Gunung Sewu Kencana (3,000 doses).

Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo) chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani said that amid budget constraints, each company had its own considerations in choosing which workers would receive vaccines. However, vaccine rations should be prioritized for workers in high-risk work environments where they had to work in crowds or deal with customers.

Also read: Private Vaccinations Carried Out alongside Government’s Program

Kadin deputy chairman Sanny Iskandar hoped that the Gotong Royong program would allow the business world to help accelerate the country’s economic recovery. Vaccinations had to be prioritized for sectors that employed a lot of workers. Moreover, the vaccination was being held in three stages. “It was offered to companies that could finance it themselves,” he said.

Indonesian Footwear Association executive director Firman Bakrie said that because the program depended on the company’s ability, not all workers could receive the vaccine. “There are companies who can afford to vaccinate all their workers, but there are also companies who cannot. Thus, not all their workers are registered [for the program],” he said.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

A worker at Juanda Airport in Surabaya in Sidoarjo, East Java, Tuesday (30/3/2021) received an injection of the Covid-19 vaccine on Tuesday (30/3/2021). A total of 2300 workers at Juanda Airport received the Covid-19 vaccine.

The vaccine price set by the government was beyond the expectations of business players. “Initially, we did not expect prices to go up to Rp 500,000 per person. Initially, we thought it would be Rp 180,000 to Rp 250,000 per person,” he said.

Association of Small and Medium-Sized Automotive Component Companies (Pikko) chair Rosalina Faried said that there was no clarity from the government regarding the vaccination of workers in small-scale industrial sectors who could not afford the vaccines. Pikko members hoped to receive free vaccines from the government. “We are seeing financial difficulties, especially when we have just given workers their holiday bonuses [THR],” she said.

All-Indonesian Workers’ Organization secretary general Timboel Siregar emphasized that the Gotong Royong program was important for the protection of workers.

Also read: We Need Greater Vaccine Variety

“The government needs to review the cost of the vaccinations for the program. The injection fee of Rp 117,910 per dose should be made free to reduce costs and so that more business players can buy the vaccine for the program,” he said.

Health Ministry COVID-19 vaccination spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that vaccine prices and tariffs for the Gotong Royong program were determined through various considerations and consultations with many parties. These parties included the Coordinating Economic Affairs Ministry and experts.

The government needs to review the cost of the vaccinations for the program.

PT Bio Farma vaccine spokesperson Bambang Heriyanto said the vaccine for the first stage of the Gotong Royong program would be the Sinopharm vaccine. “The Cansino vaccine will be an alternative, and the Sputnik vaccine is still being processed. The Moderna vaccine was discontinued, however, because of limited supply,” he said.

Meanwhile, it will be difficult to avoid increases in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia considering the country’s high mobility rates, crowding and the loosening of health protocols. According to Ede Surya Darmawan, to prevent a spike in cases that will burden health facilities, activity restrictions must be tightened and surveillance strengthened.

( TAN/AGE /AIK/ HEN )

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.