Jakarta, 22 January 2022 -- Nurses and midwives are health workers who are always on standby at the forefront, especially in going through the pandemic storm that has almost been running for 2 years. They often face risks in carrying out their humanitarian duties, ranging from illness to risks that threaten their lives.
In consideration of the SOE's CSR program in the health sector, the Minister of SOEs of the Republic of Indonesia, Erick Thohir, encouraged SOEs to give appreciation to these health workers. This time, the SOE that has realized this mandate in appreciating health workers is PT Bank Negara Indonesia (Persero), Tbk (BNI), especially health workers in areas far from health facilities.
This time, BNI gave its appreciation to hundreds of nurses and midwives spread across 17 BNI areas. The appreciation was symbolically handed over by Erick Thohir in Sukabumi City, West Java, Saturday (22/1/2022).
In the ceremony, which implemented strict health protocols, BNI’s Institutional Relations Director, Sis Apik Wijayanto also accompanied the symbolic handover of the savings. The event was also attended by representatives of nurses and midwives from 17 BNI operational areas virtually.
Erick Thohir said that BNI's attention to nurses and midwives was part of efforts to strengthen SOE’s CSR to be more targeted. "Today, in accordance with the SOE CSR Program, we also want health workers not to feel forgotten after Covid-19. I ask BNI to help nurses and midwives who have been very instrumental in helping millions of Indonesian people not only from the Covid virus, but also other diseases which endangers health and life," he said.
Erick hopes that this appreciation can improve the worries of nurses and midwives during this time. All SOEs including BNI in the future will be encouraged to not only distribute CSR but make this program more targeted to address more specific and sustainable problems. "We want to keep activities like this maintained. Don't let us just come when we ask for help and forget when the pandemic is over. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for the struggle of nurses and midwives who ensure public health. For me, nurses and midwives are heroes in the government's efforts to fight the pandemic," added Erick.
BNI’s Institutional Relations Director, Sis Apik Wijayanto said this step is BNI's commitment to play a proactive role in supporting the realization of a sustainable economy. This time, BNI held an appreciation program for nurses and midwives, especially those who served in the regions. "We hope that this appreciation fund can be an encouragement for health workers to serve the Indonesian people who still do not have the ability and access to sufficient health care," he said.
Sis Apik said that currently Indonesia is again facing a tough challenge, namely the potential for the spread of a new variant of the Omicron virus. In fact, there is no definite information on how the effect of this new variant will be, but its spread has recently started to increase. "We hope that nurses and midwives in these villages can be more alert to always help the community not only maintain but also improve their health," he added. (*)