Government Establishes Emergency Health Posts and Oxygen Houses for Residents Affected by ISPA from Forest Fires

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The government has established emergency health posts to address cases of Acute Respiratory Infection (ISPA) caused by haze from forest and land fires (karhutla).

Regional governments are coordinating with the Health Department, while the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) have also set up emergency posts for handling ISPA cases,” said Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs (Menko PMK) Sugiono during a press conference at the Menko PMK Office in Jakarta on Thursday (22/10/2026).

The activation of these posts aims to protect vulnerable groups.

According to Sugiono, these posts fall under the coordination of the BNPB, the Health Department, and the BPBD.

"Regarding government efforts to protect vulnerable groups, particularly young children, this has also been communicated,” explained Sugiono.

To safeguard public health from the haze, the government is collaborating with several philanthropic organizations to distribute health equipment and portable oxygen supplies.

He added that there are also oxygen houses available for community members in need.

"Additionally, there is the provision of what's called oxygen houses, which utilize specially constructed facilities to be smoke-resistant. Here, the community receives services to address the difficulties they face in coping with ISPA," he clarified.

Moreover, Sugiono mentioned that there has been coordination with the Ministry of Health to gather advice from community health centers and Health Departments affected by the karhutla in Central Kalimantan over the past few days.

During this moment, the Ministry of Health has also provided aid according to the needs expressed by local health centers and affected regional Health Departments.

"A day later, the Ministry of Health had also dispatched equipment, medications, and vitamins required by those areas. I believe the coordination has been quite good, and we will continue to expand these services across all affected areas, especially focusing on communities at high risk for ISPA," he said.

As noted, the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) recorded 314,124 cases of Acute Respiratory Infection (ISPA) in areas impacted by forest and land fires (karhutla) as of October 20, 2026.

The Head of the Bureau of Communication and Public Information at the Kemenkes, Aji Muhawarman, stated that these cases are spread across seven provinces encompassing 65 districts/cities.

By age group, 70,890 cases were reported among children aged 0–5 years, while the remaining 243,234 cases occurred in individuals over 5 years old.

"Meanwhile, 243,234 cases have occurred in individuals over the age of 5," Aji noted in data shared with Kompas.com on Wednesday (21/10/2026).

In addition to the cumulative cases, the Kemenkes reported 3,269 new ISPA cases on October 20, 2026.

Data from Kemenkes for the period from August 20 to October 20, 2026, indicated that ISPA cases were spread across seven provinces affected by karhutla.

South Sumatra and South Kalimantan were the two provinces with the highest case numbers, particularly among those over 5 years old.