Indonesian govt drops self-paid Covid-19 vaccinations after public outcry

A medical worker holds up a vial of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine at a Gotong Royong vaccination centre set up by the Indonesian Banks Association (Perbanas) at Tennis Indoor Senayan in Jakarta. - Antara Foto via Jakarta Post/ANN

JAKARTA, July 18 (Jakarta POst/ANN): Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung has confirmed that the government had scrapped plans to allow self-funded inoculation under the Gotong Royong scheme, an expansion of the program that had elicited strong criticism from the public and civil society groups.

“After taking public feedback and responses into consideration, (President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo) has firmly instructed that the [individually] paid vaccination plan, which was previously set to be distributed through [(state-owned pharmaceutical company) PT Kimia Farma, be cancelled,”