Indonesian Covid-19 Task Force Warns of Looming Health System Collapse

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia’s Covid-19 Task Force has warned that the country’s health system will collapse if the Indonesian public fails to comply with the health protocols set by the government.

“The Indonesian health system is currently strained,” said Covid-19 Task Force official Jossep Wiliam on September 21.

“[The Covid-19 Task Force] needs the public to comply with health protocols to contain Covid-19 to prevent the health system from collapsing. If the [Indonesian] health system collapses, then it will increase the odds in countering [the spread of] Covid-19 in the country.”

Also read: Indonesian Government Urged to Intensify Mass Testing for Covid-19 

Josep added that there are currently more than 2,000 medical personnel treating Covid-19 cases in referral hospitals or emergency wards such as the Wisma Atlit or Athlete Village apartment complex in Kemayoran, Jakarta.

“I have asked the Indonesian Doctor’s Association or IDI and the Indonesian National Nurses Association [PPNI] for more personnel, as many of the current medical workers are already exhausted,” he said, noting that Jakarta continues to be the epicenter of the pandemic.

“[Medical personnel] in community health centers and ambulance drivers have difficulty coping with the sheer number of cases, so much so that they have to institute a queuing system.” 

Also read: Indonesia's Indofarma to Launch Rapid Test Kits Soon

“I urge the public, more than ever, to comply with health protocols such as avoiding crowds, washing hands and wearing masks.” IDI noted that 117 doctors have died combating the coronavirus, as of 17 September.

The Association also lamented the Indonesian public's failure to comply with health protocols.

The Covid-19 pandemic has been detected in 493 districts throughout Indonesia’s 34 provinces. Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Reisa Broto Asmoro said the country has 248,852 cases since the coronavirus was detected last March. Of this, 180,797 have recovered while 9,677 of them died of the illness.

(Writers: Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Rakhmat Nur Hakim, Dian Erika Nugraheny | Editors: Icha Rastika, Fabian Januarius Kuwado, Bayu Galih)

Sources:

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/21/17043461/satgas-sistem-kesehatan-di-indonesia-ambruk-jika-masyarakat-tak-patuhi?page=all#page2. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/21/14194391/tenaga-kesehatan-mulai-keletihan-satgas-covid-19-minta-tambahan. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/21/23210061/jumlah-kasus-aktif-covid-19-meningkat-582-pada-21-september?page=all#page2. 

https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2020/09/18/10455351/117-dokter-meninggal-terpapar-covid-19-idi-masyarakat-masih-abai