Minister Of Health Admits Tens Of Thousands Of Health Workers Need To Handle COVID-19

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that currently the government needs to add up to tens of thousands of health workers, both doctors and nurses to handle the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.

"We need additional nurses and doctors. We have identified a need between 16-20 thousand nurses. Regarding doctors, we also see a gap of around 3 thousand doctors," Budi said in a virtual press conference, Monday, July 12.

To meet this need, the Ministry of Health has begun to look at nurses who are still at the final level but have finished studying and passed the competency test.

"On the instructions of the president, we will talk to the minister of education how we can move these nurses into practice more quickly," said Budi.

Meanwhile, to meet the needs of doctors, Budi sees that there are more than 3 thousand interns who are currently practicing at the hospital and are almost graduating.

"We also see that there are around 3,900 doctors who will finish their internships this year, so we have also prepared those doctors who have just graduated from their internships to enter immediately," he explained.

Minister of Health Budi admitted that the large number of health workers needed was due to the surge in COVID-19 cases which also resulted in high exposure among health workers.

"We are aware that some nurses and doctors have contracted the COVID-19 virus and must self-isolate. We are very concerned here and will continue to pay attention to the health of these nurses, doctors and midwives," he said.

Therefore, Minister of Health Budi promised to immediately complete the distribution of the Moderna vaccine which had just arrived in Indonesia to be injected as the third dose of vaccination to health workers.

"The plan will be as soon as possible after we finalize the distribution with the associations of doctors, nurses, midwives to carry out a third vaccination with Moderna for them. It will start as soon as possible to protect them as one of our front line that we must protect," he added.