Jakarta (ANTARA) - Risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) has been one of the main pillars of COVID-19 pandemic handling and response in Indonesia, according to an official from the Ministry of Health. "It continues until now as a supporting pillar for the success of vaccination," Director General of Disease Prevention and Control at the ministry, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said in a statement received here on Wednesday.
RCCE is needed in efforts to boost collaboration between the government and private parties for providing inclusive services, especially for reaching vulnerable groups, he informed. RCCE has been proven to be an essential component of responding to public health emergencies.
According to Rondonuwu, the inclusive vaccination strategy is targeting 21.1 million older adults and 141.2 million people from the general public and vulnerable people, including people living with disabilities, people with comorbidities, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups.
SATUSEHAT data as of July 1, 2023, has shown that more than 452 million vaccinations have been administered to the community, and more than 64 percent of Indonesia's population has completed their primary COVID-19 vaccination series.
Director of Immunization Management at the ministry, Prima Yosephine Berliana Tumiur Hutapea, said that pentahelix collaboration is the main factor that has helped Indonesia become one of the top five countries that have been most successful in carrying out vaccinations.
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During the COVID-19 pandemic, she continued, the Health Ministry also conducted several strategic steps to accelerate the achievement of equal vaccination coverage among groups at high risk. "Throughout the pandemic phase, the Ministry of Health has carried out three strategies; first, innovation in vaccination, namely by involving various sectors," she pointed out.
The second strategy was innovation in policy, as reflected in the issuance of the Health Minister's Circular in 2021 on the acceleration of COVID-19 vaccination for certain groups and the simplification of screening forms.
Then, the third strategy was the implementation of inclusive vaccinations, supported by community organizations, professional organizations, and religious organizations, as well as carrying out integration with other existing primary services.
RCCE among key pillars of COVID-19 response
The Health Ministry's Director General of Disease Prevention and Control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, and Director of Immunization Management, Prima Yosephine Berliana Tumiur Hutapea, at the 'Collaboration for Inclusive Vaccination: Learning for Indonesia's Future Health Resilience' webinar on Tuesday (July 4, 2023). (ANTARA/HO-Kemenkes)
