JAKARTA: Indonesia’s Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Friday (Jun 25) that more hospitals and beds have been prepared in Jakarta to cope with another surge of COVID-19 cases, while assuring the public that there is sufficient oxygen supply on Java island.
This came after a record-breaking 20,574 new COVID-19 cases the day before, with Jakarta logging a record of 7,505 infections.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Speaking during a press conference, the minister said that Persahabatan hospital, Sulianti Saroso hospital and Fatmawati hospital, all in the capital city, will be converted into full COVID-19 hospitals.
The government is also readying new makeshift COVID-19 hospitals in Jakarta. They will be located within the government subsidised housing complexes of Nagrak and Pasar Rumput. These makeshift facilities will treat asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms.
Meanwhile, Jakarta’s 2018 Asian Games Athlete’s Village, which since last year has been turned into an emergency COVID-19 makeshift hospital, will treat patients with severe symptoms.
“Thus, we will have hundreds of new beds with full equipment (as well as) experienced doctors and nurses to treat COVID-19 patients in Jakarta.
Advertisement
Advertisement
“And we hope, this week the conversion will be finished so it can add the number of beds to treat Jakartans,” Mr Sadikin said.
He added that emergency rooms in Jakarta’s hospitals will also be converted into COVID-19 isolation rooms, while tents outside the hospitals will be set up to serve as emergency rooms.
Mr Sadikin stated that the country has 85,000 hospital beds, excluding the new COVID-19 hospitals and isolation rooms in Jakarta. He said that 60,000 beds are currently occupied.
Healthcare workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) get ready to treat patients at the emergency hospital for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Jakarta, Indonesia, June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
Advertisement
READ: Jokowi aims to vaccinate 7.5 million Jakartans by end August, but experts say herd immunity is not a given
The minister also commented on local media reports that some hospitals in Java are about to run out of oxygen.
He said that of Indonesia’s total oxygen production capacity, 25 per cent is used for medical purposes and the rest is for industries. He added that producers are willing to support the health sector if needed.
Indonesia is battling an influx of COVID-19 cases following last month’s Idul Fitri holiday where people returned to their hometowns and throngs of people crowded tourist spots.
As of Friday morning, it has reported 2,053,995 COVID-19 cases and 55,949 deaths.
BOOKMARK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments
Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
I’m really enjoying the theme/design of your weblog.
Do you ever run into any internet browser compatibility problems?
A small number of my blog audience have complained about my website not working correctly in Explorer but looks great in Opera.
Do you have any advice to help fix this problem?
Just want to say your article is as astonishing. The clearness
in your post is simply spectacular and i can assume you’re an expert on this subject.
Fine with your permission allow me to grab your feed to keep up to date with
forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the gratifying work.