Joko Widodo makes the coronavirus jab free for all

President Joko Widodo has said Indonesia would vaccinate its people free of charge and he would be the first in line.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Picture: Gary Ramage

After taking in “suggestions from the public” and crunching numbers, President Joko Widodo said Indonesia would vaccinate its people free of charge and he would be the first in line.

“I have instructed all cabinet ministers, government institutions and local administrations to prioritise the vaccination program in the 2021 fiscal year,” he said on Wednesday.

Mr Joko, commonly known as Jokowi, has asked the finance minister to reallocate funds and prioritise the procurement of vaccines and free vaccination program so “there will be absolutely no reason” to not get vaccinated.

The announcement comes after the Indonesian government faced backlash from policy analysts concerned about the potential commercialisation of COVID-19 vaccines.

Previously, Health Minister Terawan Putranto had said 32 million people would be covered by the free vaccination scheme while another 75 million people had to pay to get inoculated.

The national taskforce said the free vaccination program would help Indonesia end the corona­virus pandemic.

“Vaccinations will be made free to achieve herd immunity (and) accelerate the handling of COVID-19 so that the pandemic ends soon,” taskforce spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said on Wednesday. He did not give details of the type or brand of vaccines the government planned to use.

Earlier this month, Indonesia received 1.2 million doses of China’s Sinovac vaccine but it is yet to receive emergency use authorisation from the Food and Drug Monitoring Agency. Indonesia’s top clerical council MUI is also still looking at the vaccine’s ingredients to make sure it is halal and allowed by Islamic law.

A health ministry regulation says the government will source vaccines from AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and state-owned manufacturer Bio Farma.

Griffith University epidemiologist Dicky Budiman praised Indonesia for taking “a step in the right direction”, which would help the country kickstart a nationwide vaccination program.

“This is the right move and it’s based on existing laws, that the country must protect the public against certain diseases, including during an outbreak,” Mr Budiman said on Thursday.