Another Case Occurs Forcibly Retrieving Bodies Suspected Of Having COVID-19 In Makassar

MAKASSAR - Another case of forced collection of bodies occurred in Makassar, South Sulawesi. The group of residents forcibly took the body from Awal Bros Hospital in Makassar.

The Managing Director of Awal Bros Hospital in Makassar, Merry Monica, explained that the patient who died was taken by the family to the hospital at around 14:45 WITA, Wednesday, October 14. The patient has complaints of shortness of breath, fever and cough.

"There was shortness of breath, fever and cough for several days and a consultation (with) a pulmonary specialist with a heart doctor was also carried out. "The results of the chest CT scan and laboratory results show that it is indeed a suspicion (COVID-19)," Merry said confirmed by VOI, Thursday, October 15.

At that time, doctors recommended that a swab test be carried out on the patient. However the patient refused.

"It took a long time to be persuaded to be educated to want (test) PCR, so because it took a long time, at 7 pm the family agreed. Even then, the patient's condition has begun to worsen, shortness of breath, "he explained.

However, the PCR examination can only be done in the morning because the laboratory facilities are not operating 24 hours. According to Merry, the patient died at 21.00 WITA

"The patient's condition had worsened. Cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was carried out. The patient died at 9 pm," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of Public Relations of the Panakkukang Polsek Bripka Ahmad Halim explained the chronology of the forced collection of the body. From witness testimony, around 7 people came to the morgue on the 6th floor of Awal Bros Hospital Makassar. At that time, one of the people called his partner asking that the body be taken.

"(There were) the words 'directing the masses to enter our Awal Bros Hospital to retrieve the bodies'," said Bripka Ahmad.

Then at around 20:40 WITA, Wednesday, October 14th, the crowd increased and managed to bring the body down from the 6th floor using an elevator.

At 21.00 WITA, the crowd loaded the body into a pickup truck. TNI and Polri members who were at the location prevented the mass action and provided understanding so that they were willing to wait for the results of the swab.

"At 23.15 WITA, a forced attempt by the family was led directly by the son of the deceased to immediately bring home the body of Manda Daeng Beta, which was successfully repelled by the TNI-Polri apparatus to immediately (brought) back to Awal Bros Hospital," said Bripka Ahmad.