Deputy Chairperson Of MPR: Systematic Protection Is Needed For Health Workers

MPR Deputy Chair Lestari Moerdijat (Photo via Antara)

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairperson of the MPR Lestari Moerdijat assesses the need for systematic protection for health workers (nakes) from exposure to COVID-19, related to the continued increase in the "positivity rate" in the health center environment.

"Vigilance must be increased in the health care system in handling the current surge in positive COVID-19 cases. A number of protection standards for health workers must be consistently applied," said Lestari Moerdijat in a written statement, Thursday, February 10, as reported by Antara.

He explained that based on records from the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) compiled as of February 6, 2022, from four hospitals in Jakarta, more than 30 percent of health workers were exposed to COVID-19 with mild and asymptomatic symptoms.

According to him, although it has a mild impact on health workers, this condition increasingly demands consistency in the protection of health workers.

"Systematic and measurable tests and searches must be carried out consistently to prevent transmission to patients in existing health facilities," he said.

This, according to him, is mainly because there are health workers who have been exposed to COVID-19 but have no symptoms, so if tests are not consistently carried out, they have the potential to infect patients who are being treated.

He assessed that this condition requires high professionalism from the management of health facilities and health workers to consistently carry out swab tests so that the health status of health workers can be clearly confirmed.

Lestari assessed that in facing the trend of increasing the number of positive COVID-19 cases, stakeholders and the community are expected to increase discipline in enforcing and complying with existing rules in order to control the spread of COVID-19 in the country.