Jakarta (ANTARA) - President director of state-run insurer BPJS Health, Ghufron Mukti, said that his party will not cover the cost of the trivalent dengue vaccine (TDV), or the vaccine for dengue hemorrhagic fever (DBD)."BPJS Health only finances promotion, prevention, curation, and rehabilitation for individual health," he informed on Thursday.
The DBD vaccination has been included in the public health effort, which lies under the responsibility of the Health Ministry and related authorities, he said.
"Therefore, dengue vaccination is not BPJS Health's responsibility," he added.
The Health Ministry is currently reviewing the TDV vaccine for the national vaccination program so that it can be made free for the public.
The ministry's director general of disease prevention and control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said that his party will discuss the vaccination scheme with the Indonesia Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (ITAGI).
"We will discuss it with ITAGI and related authorities such as Bappenas (National Development Planning Agency) regarding the financing. Every new vaccine must start with an introduction. We will see it next year," he informed on Wednesday.
In addition, the government has allowed regions with good expenditure budgets to start introducing the vaccine to the public. According to the Health Ministry, dengue fever is transmitted through the bite of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which is very common during the rainy season.
The disease can cause complications such as bleeding, lack of oxygen, and damage to vital organs such as the lungs, liver, heart, and brain. The dengue vaccine has now become available in Indonesia with the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) permitting its use for the 6–45 age group.
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One of the vaccines has been made available under the trademark Qdenga, which is being produced by IDT Biologika GmbH, Germany, and is registered under the name of Takeda GmbH, Germany. The vaccine is the second dengue vaccine in Indonesia for which a distribution permit has been granted by BPOM after Dengvaxia (registered under PT Aventis Pharma).