Sri Mulyani Allocated Rp. 3.5 Trillion For Rent Hotel Isolation For COVID-19 Patients

Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani. (Photo: Instagram @smindrawati)

JAKARTA - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said that she has allocated an additional budget of IDR 3.5 trillion for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). These funds include paying for the use of hotel rooms for mild COVID-19 patients or people without symptoms (OTG).

"The budget allocated for an additional Rp3.5 trillion for BNPB certainly includes the anticipation of the possibility of using hotels for patient isolation rooms," he said in a video conference with journalists, Tuesday, September 15.

For information, the government is working with a number of managers of 2 and 3 star hotels in Jakarta to prepare quarantine facilities for COVID-19 patients without symptoms, aka OTG. At least 15 hotels in Jakarta have been prepared by the government for the independent isolation of OTGs. It is estimated that all of the hotels can accommodate about 3,000 patients who are exposed to the deadly outbreak.

The state treasurer said that there were two new towers at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital which were used for the isolation of COVID-19 patients, namely tower 6 and tower 7.

Furthermore, Sri said, the government continues to monitor the maximum use of existing facilities. Includes, the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital and the education and training building which has been used as an isolation room.

"The focus is for us to use the facility and how much it costs to be held accountable by BNPB," he said.

No Limited Health Capacity

Chairman of Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery Airlangga Hartarto responded, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said. He said that the government has sufficient budget to deal with health problems in the country.

Anies previously said the reason he pulled the emergency brake was by re-applying the PSBB. For one thing, the number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Jakarta has increased sharply. Thus causing limited hospital beds.

Airlangga ensured that the government's health capacity was not limited, and was available to the community. According to him, the government will continue to add health facilities.

"The government emphasizes that there is no limited health capacity, the government has sufficient funds. The government will increase the bed capacity, the government will convince all regions including DKI Jakarta," he said at a press conference at the BNPB Building, Thursday, September 10.

According to Airlangga, the government will also use 2 and 3 star hotels as treatment rooms if the capacity at the hospital is no longer sufficient to accommodate positive COVID-19 patients such as in South Sulawesi or Central Java.

"The central government pays serious attention to the development of the situation and always improves hospitals and health facilities. We will continue to add facilities at the hotel, including utilizing 2 and 3 star hotels," he said.