IDEP Foundation

Persons with Disabilities Receive COVID-19 Booster Vaccination at Graha Nawasena

In the morning at 07.30, four health workers, one vaccinator, and one doctor from the North Denpasar Health Center 1 gathered for the COVID-19 vaccination activity. Vaccination registrants, this time, reached 63 people. Of these, only 38 people received the vaccine injection because the rest experienced incompatibility with the type of vaccine they had received. Two people did not pass the blood pressure, temperature, and comorbid checks.

The location for the vaccination this time is in the Graha Nawasena cafe area, directly next to the North Denpasar 1 Health Center. Daily, this room is usually used by the general public, such as some high school students who were seen doing their schoolwork the previous day. People with disabilities are involved here as Kube (Joint Business Group) members, and their accessories are also the longest near the entrance.

The process of this activity includes orderly. However, based on stories from beneficiaries, some of their colleagues are still afraid to get vaccinated. Health workers gave the first vaccination injection to Ni Wayan Resiani (50) at around 08.30 WITA. Many other participants joined the queue afterward.

Resiani is a blind person. She called out to a motorcyclist who was passing in front of him. Ask to be taken to Graha Nawasena, she said. Someone who drove her said goodbye after arriving at the location. The woman is familiar with visiting this place and never misses spending time with other disabled friends.

“Is this true? Are there vaccinations here? I want a vaccine, but please help me to check my vaccine history first,” she said to one of the vaccine organizing committees.

Ni Wayan Resiani getting a COVID-19 vaccination injection

Based on the Primary Care (Pcare) system, it turned out that the previous primary vaccine dose was heterologous to the Indovac vaccine type, which he received today. For information, the Indovac vaccine can be given to people who previously received the AstraZeneca, Coronavac/Sinovac, and Bio Farma vaccines. Meanwhile, the Sinopharm vaccine can be given exclusively to people who have previously received the Sinopharm vaccine.

At 10.30 WITA, Resiani had already moved towards the exit. “Can I be delivered to the nearest bus stop?” She left the room slowly, apparently a little hard to walk. One of the organizing committee took him to the bus stop in front of SMAN 7 Denpasar. There was no need to wait long. Corridor II Teman Bus going to Sanur came to pick her up there.

I Nyoman Juniarta (41), who is usually called Jigo, as the coordinator of the vaccination activity, revealed that this activity is beneficial and valuable for people who want to get vaccinated against COVID-19 immediately. The hope is that the next vaccination can be carried out more enthusiastically by maintaining a good quality of service.

“It’s beneficial and extraordinary because it’s difficult for people to find vaccines, and there aren’t any at the health center. When there was vaccination at Graha Nawasena, I was very grateful because I also collaborated with the Denpasar city government, especially the Denpasar City Social Service. We are also very grateful to AIHSP, Save the Children, and the IDEP Foundation because the vaccine booster can run smoothly,” he explained.

I Nyoman Juniarta as chairman of the vaccination organizing committee at Graha Nawasena

The COVID-19 vaccination activity is a form of support from the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Health Resilience (AIHSP) through Save the Children Indonesia (SCI) and the IDEP Selaras Alam Foundation (IDEP) for the Provincial Government of Bali, which in this case is carried out by the Denpasar City Health Office, Denpasar City Social Service, and North Denpasar Health Center 1 to provide vaccinations for persons with disabilities.

The vaccination activity this time is quite different because initially, it was outside the Disabled People Organization (DPO) network that had been identified. However, implementing this successful activity became a bridge for collaboration between agencies, considering that Graha Nawasena is under the auspices of the Denpasar City Social Service Agency. At the same time, the health center involved is under the aegis of the Denpasar City Health Office.

Article & Photo: Nicolaus Sulistyo © IDEP Foundation

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