TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin lifted the rule on the implementation of the Gotong Royong Covid-19 vaccine program for individuals. This was noted in the Health Ministerial Regulation No. 23/2021 concerning the vaccination in order to contain the Covid-19 pandemic which was inked on July 28, 2021.

The regulation was an amendment to the Health Ministerial Regulation No. 19/2021 concerning the self-paid vaccine program through the Gotong Royong private scheme.

With this change, the vaccination program remained the same as the previous mechanism. “That is, [the vaccines are] given free to all Indonesians through the National Covid-19 Vaccination Program and the Gotong Royong Vaccination Program through corporations,” as quoted from the ministry’s press release on Monday, August 9.

The Gotong Royong vaccination only used the Sinopharm vaccine with a target of around 7.5 million people aged over 18 years.

Meanwhile, the vaccine brands used in the free mass vaccination program were Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer, Sinopharm, and Novavax with a target of more than 200 million people aged over 12 years.

The self-paid vaccination program sparked controversy among the community. People questioned that the rules potentially caused inequality in access to health. Recently, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo revoked the regulation on the Gotong Royong Covid-19 vaccine program for individuals.

Read: TNI and Transport Ministry Conduct Mass Vaccinations in Bogor

DEWI NURITA