An Official In Eastern Indonesia Admitted Providing Wrong COVID-19 Test Result

KUPANG, KOMPAS.com – A confusion among the family of a man who recently received a COVID-19 rapid test in Rote Ndao Regency in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara Province is over now.

A spokesperson for the local Task Force for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Handling Widianto Adhy admitted providing the wrong result.

Ariyanto Boik underwent the rapid test in a local quarantine facility. But, the reactive result showed that Ariyanto got a positive pregnancy test. The result issued by the local hospital laboratory made his entire family tense because it was not for the COVID-19 test.

“We admitted the error and we already made the correction by providing an accurate laboratory result,” Widianto said on Saturday (13 June).

However, he did not elaborate on how the initial result had created unnecessary confusion.

Also read: WHO Releases Indonesia Coronavirus Report

“I think [how it happened] is not important to be disclosed for the news. But, we can assure you that this is not going to happen again,” he said, adding that he has done an internal training for the staff.

Ariyanto’s family went straight to the quarantine facility at the Ne’e Vertical House in Sanggaoen Village, East Nusa Tenggara upon hearing the strange information. They lodged the complaints to the person in charge and required an explanation for the poor service.

“We protest against the result so we go to the quarantine facility to meet the person in charge,” said Ferdinan Boik, who is Ariyanto’s brother, to Kompas.com on Saturday.

But, he added, the person he talked to was unable to provide the answer.

Also read: Indonesia to Reinstate Tighter Measures If Covid-19 Cases Spike

His relatives, Naomi Toulasik, said the family doubts the outcome of the rapid test. Naomi said the health workers who performed the test for people under monitoring (ODP) and those who have returned from a risk area did not do their duties properly so that the results did not match the purpose of the test.

She told the health workers at the facility to take the matter seriously, especially when dealing with the deadly virus. “We ask the health workers to handle this seriously as many people have died because of coronavirus,” she said, adding that the medical workers should perform their duties professionally.

(Writer: Sigiranus Marutho Bere | Editor: Robertus Belarminus, Pythag Kurniati)

Source: https://regional.kompas.com/read/2020/06/14/05450011/keluarga-kaget-hasil-rapid-test-pria-ini-malah-reaktif-hamil-petugas-akui?page=3.