The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tourism are collaborating with tech companies to hold a mass COVID-19 vaccination as an effort to restore tourist destinations in Indonesia, especially Bali. A partnership between a multinational ride-hailing company and a health technology company announced that they have succeeded in achieving the vaccination target for transportation service sector workers carried out at the Vaccine Centre in Bali, Indonesia.
The companies established a vaccination centre at the Bali Nusa Dua Convention Centre (BNDCC) and collaborated with several related provincial agencies such as the Health Office, Tourism Office, Transportation Agency, and others. The activity of mass vaccination in Bali was also directly reviewed by the Ministry of Health. The achievement was faster than the original target because both had injected 5,134 doses of vaccine within five days. The original target was 5,000 doses in seven days.
With this achievement, the Vaccine Centre in Bali has succeeded in giving vaccines to an average of two people every three minutes. This achievement is said to be inseparable from the dedication of 31 doctors and nurses in the pre-registration area, plus 16 doctors and nurses in the drive-thru area.
The tech companies said that by achieving their target faster than expected, this shows a positive response from the community for this vaccination programme. On the sixth day since the Vaccine Centre started operating, they reached 5,492 injections with a total percentage of 109.84% of the target of 5,000 injections.
The mass vaccination is aimed at 5,000 tourism actors, online transportation partners and public transportation. The partnership between the government and the private sector in implementing this vaccination programme is expected to expand the coverage of vaccinations, so that herd immunity can be achieved quickly. The service makes it easier to target because citizens do not need to get out of the car.
At the registration stage, participants only submit their Indonesian identity card (KTP) for verification and fill out the screening sheet. Next, the vehicle is directed to the health screening zone where basic examinations are carried out such as checking temperature, blood pressure and where some additional questions are asked. If suitable, the participant goes to the area where the COVID-19 vaccine is injected.
After the injection, the participant goes to the observation area where health workers and a mini-ICU will be alerted. If specific symptoms or reactions appear, the participant can get the attention of healthcare workers by honking the horn. After observation and no specific symptoms appeared, then the participant moves to the certificate collection area and then waits for the second stage of injection after 14 days.
The ride-hailing company said that the COVID-19 vaccination activity was carried out by combining two methods, namely “walk-in” and “drive-thru”, which is the first method in Indonesia. Both methods can target all elements of society. Furthermore, the minister said this was impossible for the Ministry of Health to do alone and that the implementation must involve all sectors of the nation so that vaccination coverage can be accelerated and expanded.
Moreover, as reported by OpenGov Asia, the country’s health ministry recently announced a similar partnership with another online health-tech platform and a ride-hailing unicorn to aid Indonesia’s vaccination programmes in Jakarta. The health-tech service provider assists with the registration, scheduling of appointments, and setup of the drive-through centres. While the ride-hailing company supports the transport of those unable or unwilling to use their vehicles. Citizens can register online to access an app related to the service.