Dean Of FK UI: KPPS Officers Must Detect Each Other's Early Health

Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia (FK UI) Ari Fahrial Syam advised officials of the Voting Organizing Group (KPPS) tasked with the 2024 Regional Head Election (Pilkada) to detect early (screening) health to avoid unhealthy conditions while on duty.

"There are still regional elections and so on, I still have to remind them that they must have strict screening first, for those who will become KPPS, then their working hours will also be limited," said Ari. in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Saturday 17 February.

He said that this appropriate screening needed to be done because previously these KPPS officers were proven to have died mostly from high blood pressure (hypertension), heart disease to diabetes mellitus.

He also suggested that the House of Representatives (DPR) review whether the vote count should be finalized at one time by KPPS officers or must use a shift system (substitution of personnel at certain working hours).

"In the future, there must be a stipulation from the DPR again to see if later it is still necessary or must be completed at one time, or we make two shifts, or something else so that the KPPS' workload does not exceed its working hours," he said.

He explained that a person's normal working hours in a day are a maximum of eight hours.

"The person works eight hours of hard work, eight hours of light work, and eight hours of rest, bathing, sleeping, and so on. If this is not fulfilled, something will happen in his body," he said.

He also stated that in 2019 his party had overseen this KPPS case and coordinated with the leadership of the General Elections Commission (KPU) to limit age.

"In 2019, we have indeed followed the KPPS case, so at that time after the incident, FK UI and a team from our occupancy medicine met with the KPU leadership, having submitted several recommendations, one of which was the limitation of the age of 18-55 years," he said.

In 2024, according to him, FK UI has also come to the KPU to provide several recommendations.

"In reality, we know that in the end there are also cases of death reported by the Ministry of Health, finally 27 people, we also do not know that in the midst of society it has been reported or what, but this must be reported," he said.

He also advised KPPS officers to get training so that they can overcome working hours outside their habits when guarding the upcoming presidential, legislative and regional elections.

"These people have not been trained, other than if doctors, health workers, soldiers, police, or media friends already have a work pattern until morning, so they can overcome it, for that they must be trained," said Ari Fahrial Syam.