WASHINGTON, May 29, 2020 — The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors on Friday, May 22, 2020 approved $250 million for the Indonesia COVID-19 Emergency Response Project. The financing will help the country reduce the risk of spread, improve the ability to detect, and enhance the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program will also support strengthening the national systems for public health preparedness.
“The Government of Indonesia is utilizing all possible means to mitigate the health, social and economic impacts of COVID-19. With support from organizations such as the World Bank, we are committed to strengthen our capacity for prevention, testing, treatment and information systems, while ensuring safe working conditions for our health workers. We also welcome our development partners’ efforts to provide coordinated financing and the World Bank’s collaboration with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the Islamic Development Bank on this program,” said Minister of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia, Sri Mulyani Indrawati.
The financing will focus on strengthening key aspects of Indonesia’s emergency response to the COVID-19 outbreak, including equipping COVID-19 referral facilities under the Ministry of Health, improving the capacity for intensive care and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE), strengthening the laboratory network and surveillance system, and supporting the development and use of protocols to ensure quality of care. Using the lessons learned from COVID-19, the program will also support the country’s preparedness for outbreaks of infectious diseases in the future through improved reporting and strengthened surveillance system.
The program will cover the entire country, and the primary beneficiaries will include patients visiting hospitals and health facilities—particularly the vulnerable and high-risk populations such as the elderly and those with chronic conditions—and healthcare providers. The program is an important partnership with coordinated financing from multiple partners, including US$ 250 million in co-financing from the Asian Infrastructure and Investment Bank, and US$ 200 million in parallel financing from the Islamic Development Bank.
“We are proud to support the Government of Indonesia’s COVID-19 response and its efforts to minimize the health, economic and social impacts of the pandemic, which is critical to its continued efforts to reduce poverty and protect the country’s human capital,” said Satu Kahkonen, World Bank Country Director for Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
World Bank Group COVID-19 Response
The World Bank Group, one of the largest sources of funding and knowledge for developing countries, is taking broad, fast action to help developing countries strengthen their pandemic response. We are supporting public health interventions, working to ensure the flow of critical supplies and equipment, and helping the private sector continue to operate and sustain jobs. We will be deploying up to $160 billion in financial support over 15 months to help more than 100 countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery. This includes $50 billion of new IDA resources through grants and highly concessional loans.
