Bali's Oxygen Is Rare, Made Mangku Pastika Calls All Parties To Move To Help COVID-19 Patients

DENPASAR - Member of the Indonesian Regional Representative Council Made Mangku Pastika invited figures in Bali to move to help overcome oxygen scarcity in various hospitals (RS) in the province to treat COVID-19 patients.

"I am very concerned about the current condition. Balinese leaders, especially the rich, need to know about this condition and I hope they can help because this involves human life," said Pastika, the former governor of Bali, when doing a virtual absorption of aspirations in Bali. Denpasar, Friday 23 July.

Based on information conveyed by the Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, hospitals in this area have experienced a crisis of oxygen availability since July 14, 2021, due to a surge in the increase in COVID-19 cases, even in recent days touching the number above 1,000 cases per day and those who died above 30 person

The member of Committee 2 of DPD does not deny that meeting oxygen needs is not easy because all regions need it, while the number of providers is limited. "It can no longer be said that (the oxygen issue) is whose business it is, but this should be our business. If it is not addressed immediately, more and more of our brothers and sisters will not be helped," he said in the absorption of aspirations entitled "Development of the Pandemic COVID-19: Synergy in Facing Challenges and Recovery Efforts"

According to him, if rich Balinese people want to help each of the 10 oxygen concentrator units, it will certainly help patients with COVID-19 who are undergoing treatment at the hospital. One of these devices is capable of producing oxygen directly which can be used for one patient.

Pastika said he was ready to help 10 units of oxygen concentrator and tried to invite Balinese leaders to donate to help provide oxygen concentrators.

Regarding an oxygen generator that is capable of producing up to 1 tonne of oxygen per day, he said, it should be considered immediately.

For the price of one unit reaching Rp 6 billion, he said, the local government could make a loan to Bank BPD Bali if the budget allocation from the regional budget was limited.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bali Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ketut Suarjaya, said the oxygen crisis in Bali had occurred for more than a week due to the high number of additional COVID-19 cases.

On July 22, 2021, alone, he said, of the 113.34 tons needed, the availability at the hospital was only 40.55 tons or with a lack of oxygen of 72.79 tons.

The oxygen supply from the provider, namely PT Samator in East Java, has stalled to go to Bali, amid the high demand for oxygen on the island of Java. Whereas previously he had promised to guarantee the availability for Bali for the next three months.

Balinese Samator

Meanwhile, Samator Gas Bali, which is located in the Kapal area, Badung Regency, is only able to produce around 700 cylinders of oxygen gas or the equivalent of 3-4 tons per day.

If a hospital has an oxygen generator, according to Suarjaya, it can at least help overcome the availability of oxygen quickly in the hospital concerned, but the investment cost for this one device is quite expensive, reaching Rp 6 billion. "Regarding this plan, we have communicated with the district/city government and they said they did not have a budget," he said.

Suarjaya said that the remaining Rp 30 billion for the health budget for handling COVID-19 at the Bali Health Office is currently planned for the purchase of medicines as well as operations for quarantine areas for asymptomatic people (OTG) and COVID-19 sufferers with mild symptoms. "We have tried to ask for CSR assistance from banks so that they are willing to help overcome the problem of the oxygen crisis," he said.

The owner of NuArt Sculpture Park Bandung Nuarta hopes that Bali can be independent and not dependent on other regions. With the Bali incident, the oxygen deficit can be used as a valuable lesson so that it doesn't happen again.

He invited the Balinese people to be strictly disciplined in obeying health protocols and also rebuilding the spirit of mutual cooperation in helping to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. On that occasion, the speakers were Owner CV Himalaya Gasindo Distributor of Medical Gas (oxygen) and Bali Region Industry I Gusti Made Aryasa and Head of BPBD Bali I Made Rentin.