Presidential Staffer, Surakarta Mayor Discuss COVID-19 Vaccination for Persons with Disabilities
Presidential Staffer Angkie Yudistia meets Mayor of Surakarta Gibran Rakabuming Raka in Surakarta, Central Java, Thursday (03/06/2021). Photo by: (Team of Presidential Staffer Angkie Yudistia /UN)
Surakarta City Government renewed its commitment to speeding up the implementation of COVID-19 vaccination for persons with disabilities, Mayor of Surakarta Gibran Rakabuming Raka has stated.
“COVID-19 vaccination [for persons with disabilities] is in progress and we will continue the vaccination because it is part of our priority,” Gibran said during a meeting with Presidential Staffer Angkie Yudistia in Surakarta, Central Java, Thursday (03/06/2021).
Gibran also said that the City Government will continue to provide support for persons with disabilities. The city of Surakarta, he added, has long been a friendly city for persons with disabilities.
“Surakarta had hosted the 2011 Paralympics Tournament attended by participants from eleven countries. We also provide services for persons with disabilities, including a hospital and NPC [National Paralympic Committee of Indonesia],” he said.
In the meantime, Presidential Staffer Angkie Yudistia reiterated the importance of COVID-19 vaccination and economic recovery measures for persons with disabilities.
Angkie also expressed hope that Surakarta City Government could implement a host of programs the Central Government has launched for persons with disabilities.
“I hope that the Mayor will involve persons with disabilities in implementing the programs. The President has stated that the Government policies should be implemented properly to provide benefit for the persons with disabilities,” she said.
For the record, over the course of 2019 and 2020 President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has issued several regulations on the persons with disabilities. The Presidential Staffer’s working visit is part of an effort to build synergies between the Central Government and regional governments in fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities in accordance with existing policies.
Data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in 2019 revealed that the number of persons with disabilities in the country was approximately 30 million people with 4 million of whom domiciled in Central Java. (Team of Presidential Staffer Angkie Yudistia /UN) (RI/MUR)
