Minister outlines three strategies to ensure successful immunisation

Jakarta (ANTARA) -

Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin outlined three strategies to ensure complete immunisation programme by 2025–2029 by providing the infrastructure, ensuring a smooth vaccine supply cycle from planning to distribution, and presenting public education.

"The most important thing is that we want to ensure that within the next two years the provision of immunisation service infrastructure is completed. A hundred per cent of the cold chain requirements must be met and must be reviewed annually," Minister Sadikin said during a meeting with the Indonesian House of Representatives in Jakarta on Tuesday.

In the meeting with the parliament members, he mentioned many districts and cities in Indonesia still have inadequate vaccine infrastructure.

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The most common issue, he noted, is the lack of cold storage for vaccines supply. Therefore, the procurement of the storage will be fulfilled through Bank loans and Danantara grants.

Meanwhile, for the vaccine supply cycle, the ministry is assisted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which has provided an application to track the vaccine status, such as delivery progress, expiration dates, and quantities of the used stocks.

"We have also integrated the SMILE application with the state-owned vaccine company, Bio Farma. So, if there is a shortage, they will know and could send more. Bio Farma’s deliveries, including the vehicles, can also be traced," Sadikin said.

He also highlighted the need for serious public education on the importance of vaccination, given the high number of people who are anti-vaccine.

Related news: Indonesia ramps up communication to boost measles vaccination

Citing data from the Indonesia Health Survey (SKI) in 2023, Sadikin said the biggest reasons for people not getting immunised are because of lack of family permission, fear of Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI), forgetting or not knowing the schedule, child being sick, or feeling the immunisation is unimportant.

"We may need to find education methods that are more easily understood by the people, whether through religious leaders, influencers, or by changing our own way of educating," he said.

Sadikin also pointed out the total funding availability for the 2025-2029 immunisation programme reaches Rp39.58 trillion. However, the required cost is Rp44.49 trillion.

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Translator: Mecca, Kenzu

Editor: Fransiska Ninditya

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