A dentist in Surabaya, East Java, wears complete personal protective equipment before examining a patient (Photo: Antara)
 
Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said on May 24 that Indonesia would not compromise on the health of its people to reboot the country's economy.

There is no trade-off between health and economy. Both are like conjoined twins which are not separated, Sri Mulyani said. 

That was why the government's first step in COVID-19 mitigation was to earmark 75 trillion Rp (5 billion USD) specifically for health care, according to the minister.

Major aid packages sourced from the State budget are being used to purchase medical materials and equipment, and upgrade 132 hospitals for COVID-19 treatment.

The government has also decided to provide a 15 million Rp incentive to medical specialists, 10 million Rp to physicians and dentists, 7.5 million Rp to nurses, 5 million Rp to other medical staff members, and 300 million Rp in case of death of medical workers.

A total of 405.1 trillion Rp has been disbursed to the battle against COVID-19./.
VNA