Jakarta. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has dropped the plan to allow citizens to pay for vaccination against Covid-19 instead of waiting in a long line for free jabs under the government program, an aide said on Friday.
The decision came four days after the World Health Organization said paid vaccination “could pose an ethical issue” since Indonesia is among the biggest beneficiaries of vaccine assistance from the UN-approved global procurement program Covax.
“After taking public feedback and responses into consideration, the president firmly instructed that paid vaccination plan to be arranged by the state-run pharmaceutical company, Kimia Farma be canceled,” Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung said at the State Palace in Central Jakarta.