The occupancy of Covid-19 hospitals in a number of regions is even already above 80 percent, including the regencies of Bandung, Tasikmalaya, Purwakarta, Karawang, Majalengka, West Bandung, Indramayu, Bandung and Bekasi.
By
ABDULLAH FIKRI ASHRI/ TATANG M SINAGA/MACHRUDIN WAHYUDI RITONGA/ CORNELIUS HELMY
·6 minutes read
The surge in Covid-19 cases in West Java has been unstoppable since Idul Fitri. Hospital occupancy has become increasingly critical, making it difficult to accommodate new patients.
K, 43, was nearly unconscious when he arrived at the Lohbener Community Health Center (Puskesmas), Indramayu regency, West Java, Tuesday (15/6/2021) at 10:00 a.m. The residents of Lohbener village were short of breath. His blood pressure was high.
A Puskesmas officer then asked K to undergo a rapid antigen test. The result was that he was positive for Covid-19. With severe symptoms being experienced, K had to be immediately referred to the hospital.
However, everything is not simple. The head of the Puskesmas Lohbener, Uswatun Hasanah, Thursday (17/6), said that many hospitals were full that afternoon.
Uswatun asked the K family to be patient while waiting for news of the availability of the hospital room. However, K\'s breath was getting worse and he was no longer able to speak. "They then asked for permission to find their own treatment room while bringing K. We were confused, we couldn\'t stop it," she said.
During the journey, the Puskesmas staff continued to monitor the patient\'s progress by telephone. The isolation rooms at three hospitals they visited, Mitra Plumbon, Sentra Medika Lohbener, and Bhayangkara Indramayu, were fully occupied.
They then planned to go to MIS Krangkeng Hospital, which is more than 45 kilometers from the center of Indramayu city. “In the middle of the road, there was news that MIS Hospital was also full. The patient then went to Indramayu Hospital. There, the emergency unit was also full. After trying to find another place, K died on the way," said Uswatun.
Uswatun then reported the incident to the Indramayu Covid-19 Mitigating Task Force to be assisted in burying K in accordance with the health protocols. "We are waiting for news from the funeral team until 04:25 p.m. It turned out that the team was tired after burying three bodies," he said.
Finally, all had to wait. K\'s funeral took place after 06:00 p.m. “Essentially, the health center has tried its best. But, the problem deals with the referral problem (limited isolation room). This is a lesson for us," he said.
Located about 140 km from Indramayu, the Head of Sekarwangi Village, Bandung Regency, Ridwannulloh, also experienced the difficulty of finding an isolation room. The ambulance he was driving was speeding through the streets of Bandung regency and city, Monday (14/6) evening. He rushed to take his resident, I, 34, who was exposed to Covid-19 to the hospital.
Four hospitals were visited, but all isolation rooms were full. In panic, Ridwannulloh recorded a video while explaining the condition. "Be careful my friends. Take care of health. I\'m continuing to look for the hospital," he said at the end of the video.
After making the video, Ridwannulloh went to Al-Ihsan Hospital, Baleendah. There was still a bed available for I. For more than four hours they spent the night looking for an isolation room. I was only hospitalized one night. Currently, he is doing a self-isolation at home.
The video then went viral. Even though it lasted only about 1 minute, the recording was sufficient to describe the condition of the isolation room at the hospital in the Greater Bandung area. Its condition was increasingly critical because of the flood of Covid-19 patients.
Ridwannulloh did not imagine the video to go viral. He did not intend to invite restlessness, let alone scare the public. "I\'m just explaining the current state of Covid-19. Inviting the public to be more obedient in carrying out health protocols," he said.
In the future, Ridwannulloh expected that village officials will receive periodic information about the occupancy of each Covid-19 referral hospital. "So, when there are positive residents, we just take them to the hospital that is not full. That way, there is no need to go to one hospital after the other. I feel sorry for the patient," he said.
The increase in the occupancy of hospital isolation rooms in West Java has started at least since the end of May 2021. Wanti Puspa, 30, a resident of Bandung, has had difficulty finding isolation rooms.
It all started when his father, AS, 57, was confirmed positive through a PCR test, Thursday (27/5). AS was immediately isolated at Unggul Karsa Medika Hospital, Bandung. After contact tracing, the mother and three other relatives were also tested positive for Covid-19. “Only a day apart from the father, we had difficulty finding a room. The father could get the room less than 24 hours on Thursday. A day later, there was no room left," she said.
Officers had advised four other family members to do self-isolation. However, Puspa rejected the suggestion. All of her family members were exposed to Covid-19 with symptoms, one of which had comorbidities. Three days later, they just got isolation rooms in three different places.
"The father was treated for nine days. Other family members 10 days. Everything is negative now for Covid-19," she said.
Substantial jump
The average occupancy rate at the Covid-19 referral hospital in West Java jumped sharply after the Idul Fitri holiday. Currently, the occupancy is 77 percent, up more than 2.5 times compared to a month ago. At that time, it was 28 percent.
The occupancy of Covid-19 hospitals in a number of regions is even already above 80 percent, including the regencies of Bandung, Tasikmalaya, Purwakarta, Karawang, Majalengka, West Bandung, Indramayu, as well as the cities of Bandung and Bekasi.
Now, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has declared the Greater Bandung area to be on Covid-19 Alert. As many as 75 percent of employees run a work from home (WFH) system. During the next week, tourists are advised not to visit Greater Bandung.
Kamil also asked hospitals to add beds for Covid-19 patients. "Increasing the bed ratio for Covid-19 patients from an average of 20 percent to 30-40 percent," he said.
There are about 3,000 new beds prepared. However, Kamil still asked all residents to help each other with health protocols. Covid-19 attacks everyone.
In his social media account, Kamil wrote that a baby was being treated after being exposed to the disease from his mother. There was also a family who was treated after a visit by their child.
“Tired of reading the Covid news, huh? Same," he said.