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JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia has authorised one of the world’s first private vaccination schemes to run alongside its national programme so that companies can buy state-procured vaccines to inoculate their staff in Southeast Asia’s biggest country.
FILE PHOTO: A healthcare worker performs a health screening during a mass vaccination for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) to medical workers, at the Istora Senayan stadium in Jakarta, Indonesia, February 4, 2021. REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan
The initiative, approved by a government regulation, has drawn criticism from some health experts who warn it could worsen inequity.
The world’s fourth most populous country has launched an ambitious programme to vaccinate 181.5 million people for free in about a year, but business had been pushing for a way of inoculating staff faster to open up the economy.