Local Ventilator Production to be Backed by Govt Stimulus

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Industry Ministry’s director-general of chemical, pharmaceutical and textile industries, Muhammad Khayam, on Wednesday said that the government is preparing a series of government stimulus programs to accelerate the domestic production of hospital-grade ventilators. 

One of the ways to achieve this goal is by funding reverse engineering programs meant to produce both simple and advanced ventilators stationed for ICUs. Other stimuli include the relaxation of import taxes for its components. 

“We will directly appoint the company that is considered able to produce a prototype,” said Khayam in the written statement. 

In the same press release, the Minister of Industries Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita announced that the ministry of industries continues to monitor and assure the availability of the supply chain amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

Kartasasmita said that a university team has established a team of academics to produce ventilators but are facing difficulties in terms of component availability and the supply chain. According to him, there are currently four universities that are in the process of producing ventilators in Indonesia. 

The four universities include; Gadjah Mada University, University of Indonesia, Sepuluh November Surabaya Institute of Technology, and the Bandung Institute of Technology. 

Agus assures that the permits and the product’s clinical tests will be fully backed by the Health Ministry and sees the development as a mid-to-long-term strategic step. 

CAESAR AKBAR