An evaluation of community satisfaction with the government's COVID-19 pandemic response in Aceh, Indonesia

Abstract

Countries around the world are still struggling due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No exception with Indonesia, a developing country with the highest mortality rate and the lowest number of tests in Asia. Located in the northernmost, Aceh is one of the poorest provinces with a history of long-term conflict is not in the best condition to face a pandemic. This study's objective is to assess the local government's performance in responding to this pandemic according to the Acehnese community's level of satisfaction. Additionally, this study proposes a priority list for the local government to follow up on. A total of 529 respondents were collected within a week by the criteria of having internet access, being literate, and using WhatsApp messenger. The results show that the Acehnese are dissatisfied with the local government's performance in all districts or cities and at all stages, which include: anticipation, early detection, containment, control and mitigation, and elimination. Meanwhile, the top five priority recommendations are: conducting more rapid test and COVID-19 test; providing more test tools; performing detection; and inhibiting spread. These findings lead to many interpretations: lower trust towards the government, a poor health system, and potential influence on the political output. While vaccines are now being distributed in Aceh, the main focus is still to minimize spread and heal the sick. Looking at these results, the Aceh provincial government needs to work harder to improve both its performance and reputation with the Acehnese people.