Indonesia authorises private COVID-19 vaccination scheme (updated)

Rent.com.au

26/02/2021 09:39

(Adds details of regulation)
    By Stanley Widianto
    JAKARTA, Feb 26 (Reuters) - Indonesia has authorised a
private vaccination scheme to run alongside its national
programme so that companies can buy state-procured vaccines to
inoculate their staff, a ministerial regulation showed on
Friday.
    The scheme, which will be one of the few private vaccination
progammes in the world, has drawn some criticism from health
experts who warn it could worsen inequity.
    The world's fourth most populous country has launched an
ambitious programme to vaccinate 181.5 million people for free
in about a year, but business had been pushing for a way of
inoculating their staff faster to open up the economy.  
    The regulation stipulates that effective this week companies
can buy vaccines and inoculate employees and their families for
free at privately-run health centres.
    State-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma will distribute
the vaccines to the health centers, according to the regulation.
    The vaccines used for the scheme must differ from the
current rollout, which includes China's Sinovac Biotech  SVA.O 
and is slated to include vaccines developed by AstraZeneca
 AZN.L  and Novavax  NVAX.O . 
    Vaccines for both schemes require an approval for emergency
use issued by the country's food and drug agency.
    A minister said on Thursday Indonesia will receive two
million doses made by Sinopharm (China National Pharmaceutical
Group) for the private vaccination scheme.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2KV18C
    The price ceiling for vaccines will be decided by the health
minister, the regulation said.
    Olivia Herlinda, policy director at the Center for
Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiative, a public health
non governmental organisation, criticized the scheme since
vaccines remained scarce in Indonesia.
    "Private vaccination risks missing the target and opening an
imbalance of access of vaccines for some groups," she said,
adding that it could risk corruption and commercialization.
    The government has said it would work with the country's
anti-graft agency during the rollout of the scheme.

 (
Editing by Ed Davies)
 ((Widianto.Stanley@thomsonreuters.com;))