Bogor City Spearheads Covid-19 Vaccination for People with Mental Disorders

BOGOR, KOMPAS.com – The first-ever Covid-19 vaccination program for people with mental health disorders, or known by its Indonesia acronym ODGJ, was held in Bogor City on Tuesday, June 1.

It is hoped that other cities throughout Indonesia can follow suit.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that many ODGJ have comorbidities or underlying medical conditions. However, they cannot explain their conditions so they need special attention.

“The ODGJ must also be given attention. Therefore, the step that has been done is meant to prioritize the vaccination program for ODGJ,” said Budi when visiting Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital in Bogor during the vaccination program.

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Family’s approval

The Director of the Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital, Fidiansjah, said 34 out of 100 people have received the Covid-19 jabs after receiving approval from their families and conducting the health examination process. They have passed the rehabilitation phase and are in stable condition.

“Some will need family’s approval. So, it [the vaccination] needs special handling. They must be in a calm and stable condition," said Kompas.id quoted Fidiansjah.

Fidiansjah said that the vaccination for ODGJ will continue. The Bogor City Health Office has registered 1,000 targeted vaccine recipients for ODGJ. The target recipients are not only people who are currently treated in hospitals but also those with outpatient status.

Far away from the target

The minister explained that besides implementing the vaccination program for ODGJ, greater Jakarta is the target of accelerating the mass vaccination program. Regarding Bogor City, the current vaccine supply is still far from the target.

“In Jakarta, 40 percent of the total target of vaccination has been achieved. But, the vaccination coverage in Bogor is still far away [from the target],” he said.

“Therefore, we will provide more vaccines in Bogor City so that they will reach a high coverage. Bogor cannot be separated from greater Jakarta,” said Budi.

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Meanwhile, the Mayor of Bogor, Bima Arya, said that the target for vaccine recipients in the city has reached 800,000 people. Currently, 150,000 people have been vaccinated.