Memories Of The COVID-19 Emergency Period, Minister Of Health: Private-Asing-Government Collaborations Can Overcome The Oxygen Crisis

Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin recalled the handling period of the pandemic emergency during COVID-19 in the country.

According to him, the collaboration between the government and various start-up companies or private start-ups was able to meet the oxygen supply, which at that time was very much needed by patients.

"During the crisis, Indonesia had experienced an extraordinary increase in oxygen demand. In less than four weeks it can be overcome by utilizing social capital from the Indonesian people," said the Minister of Health at a Working Meeting with Commission IX of the DPR in Jakarta, Tuesday, January 24, which was confiscated by Antara.

He said the oxygen crisis occurred in the July 2021 period, which was marked by the emergence of the Delta variant. No less than 87,000 patient care beds are used in all hospitals.

The surge triggered oxygen demand to reach more than 2,000 tons per day of the national supply capability of a maximum of 1,500 tons per day.

The strategy taken by the Ministry of Health at that time was to involve private oxygen start-up companies to supply 5,000 tons of liquid oxygen to be distributed to 500 hospital facilities.

The collaboration also produced 81 isotanks of assistance, some of which were donated and borrowed for the needs of patients, along with 18,000 concentrators with a capacity of 5-10 liters per minute from donations.

The private sector also donated 36 units of generators with a capacity of 200-300 liters per minute which were distributed to various health care facilities.

"Frankly, private, foreign, central and local companies are all working together and within a month we can overcome this lack of oxygen," he said.