Minister Confirms Revocation of Paid Vaccine Regulation

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said that he will revoke the Ministerial Regulation concerning paid Covid-19 vaccination. "It will be revoked," Budi said in a discussion with Tempo on Monday, July 19, 2021.

Budi said that he cannot immediately revoke the Ministerial Regulation after it has been declared canceled. He explained that to revoke a regulation, there has to be harmonization.

Provisions concerning vaccination was previously regulated in Health Minister Regulation No. 84 of 2020 concerning Implementation of Vaccination in the Event of Covid-19 Pandemic Mitigation ("Regulation").The Regulation guarantees that Covid-19 vaccine recipient will not be asked for payment.

Later, the Regulation was amended by Health Minister Regulation No. 10 of 2021 ("Amendment Regulation"), which states that legal entities or businesses can organize vaccination for individuals. However, the Amendment Regulation was further amended by Health Minister Regulation No. 19 of 2021, in which one of the articles states that cossts for individual Covid-19 vaccination will be subjected to the respective individual. The latest regulation was later protested by many public elements, including health experts and civillians.

Thorugh Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, President Joko Widodo later announced that the paid vaccine is cancelled following various inputs and response from the public.

FRISKI RIANA