After three years of government’s support, general public aiming to get Covid-19 vaccination will have to pay for the health immunization service since January 1, 2024, says the Ministry of Health.
Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said that free vaccination will now only be focused on vulnerable groups who still have the risk of fatality and death due to Covid-19.
“There will be two groups targeted by the COVID-19 immunization program and receive free COVID-19 immunization service,” said Maxi said on Wednesday.
Maxi explained that the first group is those who have never received the COVID-19 vaccine at all. While the second group is those who have received at least 1 dose of COVID-19 vaccine.
Both the first and second groups are specifically for the elderly, elderly with comorbidities, adults with comorbidities, health workers, pregnant women, and
adolescents aged 12 years and over and other age groups with moderate-to-severe immuno compromised conditions.
Meanwhile, according to a 2023 Circular of the Directorate General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices at the Health Ministry on the Provision of Vaccines for the Implementation of the Optional Covid-19 Vaccine for people who are not included in the above criteria, Covid-19 immunization is an optional independent immunization and can be obtained at all health care facilities that provide Covid-19 vaccination services.
COVID-19 vaccines used for elective immunization must have a Distribution Permit Number (NIE) from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) and be obtained from an official distributor appointed by the manufacturer.
“For recording and reporting purposes, the provision of COVID-19 immunization, both program immunization and optional immunization must be carried out in the immunization recording and reporting system that is integrated with the national health information system, in this case SatuSehat,” Maxi concluded.
