The Center for Tropical Medicine (PKT) FKKMK UGM held an online talk entitled “Lessons from Covid-19 Vaccination for Health Workers” last Saturday (20/2). This event is part of a series of agendas for PKT UGM’s 24th Anniversary in collaboration with KAGAMA.
Dr. Yodi Mahendradhata, Deputy Dean for Research and Development FKKMK UGM, stated that the topics raised in this event were important. About three weeks ago, on January 28, 2021, he said that Dr. Sardjito Central Hospital organized mass vaccinations for health workers following the Ministry of Health instructions.
“Our target was 3,000 health workers, which we achieved. At least 3,300 health workers received the vaccine at that time. When the Minister of Health visited Sardjito Hospital in the afternoon, he reminded him that even though the activities ran smoothly, we should not be satisfied yet because this is just an exercise. The vaccination program, which is more massive and complex as well as for a wider population group, will welcome them with an ambitious timeframe,” he said.
Yodi said that this vaccination gave us many insights. Apart from the need to prepare ourselves for vaccination on a wider population group in the future, this activity is also a manifestation of the state’s commitment to health workers as the vanguard in facing the pandemic.
“Health workers are the group most at risk of being infected or even experiencing mental disorders caused by the burden of services due to the pandemic. Thus, there needs to be better efforts for more optimal protection, welfare support, and mental health support. The priority of vaccination for health workers is an important part of the protection effort,” he explained.
The role of health workers is so important during this pandemic. Yodi revealed that the WHO also prioritizes health workers to be vaccinated. Earlier this year, the WHO encouraged all countries to prioritize health workers in the Covid-19 vaccination program in the first 100 days of 2021. In addition, the WHO also declared 2021 as the International Year of Health and Care Workers to appreciate health workers’ dedication.
“Through this event, I hope we can all underline the strategic role of health workers in Indonesia, both in fighting the pandemic and in developing the health system in general. The hope is that with this, in the future, health workers will gain more attention and support they deserve,” he emphasized.
Meanwhile, Deputy Head of PP KAGAMA, Budi Karya Sumadi, sees the importance of vaccinating health workers from a different perspective. He revealed that this vaccination program has drawn pros and cons since its announcement from the community regarding the development, effectiveness, implementation time, and costs of the vaccines.
Budi Karya said that the issue from the mass media and social media exacerbated this situation. There was an issue that health workers did not believe in vaccinations, which was most likely false. The position of health workers, in this case, is a group of people who the public considers to have more knowledge about vaccines.
Budi Karya said this problem is a formidable challenge, not only for the government but also for all of us. It is because the next group of people who are less literate about vaccines will take samples from health workers who they think are more literate.
Therefore, Budi Karya welcomed and appreciated the talk show this time, especially because of the topic raised. “By sharing experiences, everyone is expected to be able to prepare themselves for the vaccination program, which will last for two phases until March 2022. In this way, the vaccination program will run well and can mitigate the various risks that may arise,” said the Indonesian Minister of Transportation.
The speakers told their own experiences at this event. Dr. Yanri Wijayanti Subronto (Internal Medicine Doctor Dr. Sardjito Hospital) told her experience as one of the first vaccine recipients. Levina Prima Rosalia (Internal Medicine Doctor at Panti Rapih Hospital) revealed her experience in organizing vaccinations in the hospital. And finally, Berty Murtiningsih (Head of the Department of Disease Prevention and Control of the DIY Health Office) held a presentation regarding the arrangement and distribution of vaccination in the Special Region of Yogyakarta. More details about the program on the KAGAMA Channel’s Youtube channel
Source: https://ugm.ac.id/id/berita/20798-membedah-vaksinasi-covid-19-kepada-nakes
