Hospitals Nearing Full Capacity, Running Out Of Ventilators
Hospitals across the country have nearly reached full capacity as the number of Covid-19 patients who need to be treated in isolation continues to grow.
By
AHMAD ARIF/Laksana Agung Saputra/Iqbal Basyari
·3 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Hospitals across the country have nearly reached full capacity as the number of Covid-19 patients who need to be treated in isolation continues to grow. The rate of Covid-19 transmission has also increased in the country, with Indonesia’s positivity rate reaching a record-breaking 30.36 percent.
The Covid-19 handling task force reported 9,640 new confirmed Covid-19 cases on Sunday (10/1/2020), bringing the total number of infections nationwide to 828,026. With 31,743 people tested, the country’s positivity rate stood at 31.37 percent, which means that one in three people tested are tested positive for the disease.
Meanwhile, there are 122,873 active cases in Indonesia. The large amount of active cases has made hospitals overwhelmed with patients. “ICUs [Intensive Care Unit] at our hospital have been at full capacity since early December 2020, but more and more patients come. People have to wait to be admitted. Some recovered, but some other died,” said Evi Sri Diana, a pulmonary specialist at the Pasar Rebo Hospital in Jakarta.
Residents in a number of areas in Java Island have complained about the difficulty in finding a hospital. “My neighbor recently passed away at home due to Covid-19. [My neighbor] could not be taken to a hospital because they are all full,” said Mart Widiarto, a resident of Potorono Village in Bantul, Yogyakarta.
Likewise, Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) mitigation team head Adib Khumaidi said that not only the general citizen, it was also difficult for health workers who need treatment to find an ICU.
Shortage of ventilators
A number of hospitals are also running out of ventilators, which has forced the families of patients to procure them independently.
“After waiting for two days, a family of a friend has [finally] been admitted to the ICU [intensive care unit]. However, the family was asked to find a ventilator on their own, as the hospital was running out. It costs Rp 300 million to buy one. They were finally able to rent one at Rp 30 million for a month,” said Illian Deta, 40, a resident of East Jakarta.
According to Illian, the private Covid-19 referral hospital in Central Jakarta was also having issues with its drug supply, so the patient’s family had to buy medicine themselves. Illian said it cost the family Rp 229 million to buy two types of medicine, Gamaraas, a type of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), and Privigen, human normal immunoglobulin (HNIG).
“The cost of the medicines and the ventilator lease is not covered by BPJS Kesehatan,” Illian said, referring to the national Health Care and Social Security.
To curb the local transmission rate, the Covid-19 handling task force has issued a circular that extends the restrictive policy on community mobility, effective from 9 to 25 Jan. According to Covid-19 task force head Doni Monardo, the extension aims to prevent transmission between people of different regions.
The cost of the medicines and the ventilator lease is not covered by BPJS Kesehatan.
President Joko Widodo, speaking at an event to mark the 48th anniversary of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), said that one of the government’s efforts to manage the nationwide outbreak was the mass vaccination program, which would be administered over a period of 15 months and targeted 181.55 million vaccine recipients to achieve herd immunity.
Health workers are prioritized in the first stage of the vaccination program, followed by Indonesian Military personnel, members of the National Police and teachers, and finally the general public.