COVID-19 in Indonesia: Updates from BPOM & Ministry of Health on Services

Throughout the first semester of 2020, there has been one event that has profoundly affected millions of lives, economies and businesses around the world, including in Indonesia. It is the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, crisis.

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is a kind of coronavirus. It was identified in late 2019 and was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Coronavirus like COVID-19 is most often spread through the air by coughing or sneezing, through close personal contact (including touching and shaking hands) and touching your nose, mouth or eyes before washing your hands.
COVID-19 infections can cause respiratory symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath, fever and for some people, it can cause more serious illnesses. The symptoms may appear between 2 and 14 days after the exposure took place.

Impact of COVID-19

Because of the COVID-19 outbreak in Indonesia, the Indonesian Government, under the Ministry of Health of Indonesia, has announced the new regulation of Large-Scale Social Restrictions (Pembatasan Sosial Berskala Besar – PSBB) for many Indonesian regions.

This regulation is also followed by the Decision of the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), which has declared the emergency status due to the coronavirus situation in Indonesia. The regulation is applicable until 29 May 2020 and may be extended based on the coronavirus situation status in Indonesia.

This regulation has impacted a lot of areas. Most of the offices must be closed and implement the work from home (WFH) during large-scale social restriction, and the government institutions offering public services are no exception.

Indonesian Food and Drug Agency (Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan – BPOM)

The BPOM has announced to close the office temporarily and dismiss the face-to-face service since the first day of PSBB implementation.

All the BPOM services, including the consultation, are carried out online. Clients can consult through emails, phone calls and even online chats on the BPOM website.

In other words, even though the BPOM office is closed, there is no need to worry because all the BPOM services are still running as usual. The online submission is still going in accordance with the timeline.

Indonesian Ministry of Health

Similar to the BPOM, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has decided to close their service counters since the PSBB implementation.

In order to support the government effort regarding COVID-19 countermeasures, the Indonesian Ministry of Health has decided to facilitate the importation process for some of the new medical device* related to COVID-19 treatment and prevention with the special recommendation letter from BNPB.

*new medical device = medical device that does not have a license number in Indonesia

Those medical device categories are as follows:

• Surgical apparel (surgical mask and personal protective equipment such as hazmat suit and medical goggle)
• Liquid chemical sterilant/high level disinfectants
• Surgeon’s glove (sterile glove)
• Patient examination glove
• Clinical electronic thermometer
• Ventilator
• Infusion pump
• Mobile x-ray
• High flow oxygen device
• Bronchoscopy portable
• Power air purifying respirator
• CPAP Mask
• CPAP Machine
• ECMO (Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation)
• Breathing circuit for ventilator and CPAP
• Neonatal incubator and incubator transport
• Transport culture medium (VTM/UTM)
• Microbiological specimen collection and transport device (Dacron swab)
• Antiseptic (hand sanitizer)
• Resuscitation bag

These medical devices can be imported with a BNPB recommendation letter, which is applicable from 13 April 2020 until 30 June 2020.

Related article: Government Has Implemented New Tax Regulations Following COVID-19 Situation in Indonesia

Consult with Experts at InCorp Indonesia when Doing Business amid Coronavirus Situation in Indonesia

During uncertain times amid the COVID-19 outbreak, regulations from the government and related institutions may change from time to time. Consultation with experts, like the team at InCorp Indonesia, is highly recommended.

In addition to consultancy services, we also provide a wide range of services including product registration, product importation and company setup.

Reach out to us to discuss your business needs via the form below. One of our consultants will respond to your message shortly.