Doctors Call Many Non-COVID-19 Patients Are Afraid To Go To Hospital

Illustration / Irfan Meidianto (VOI)

JAKARTA - Lung Specialist RSUP Persahabatan Erlina Burhan said that people who have diseases other than COVID-19 are afraid to go to the hospital for treatment. This public concern stems from the large number of COVID-19 cases, as well as the increasing number of hospitals being placed as referrals for COVID-19 patients.

"There is an impact, now they don't want to come to the hospital. It's not that the hospital doesn't open, but people who are worried about coming to the hospital for fear of contracting (COVID-19)," Erlina said in an online discussion, Sunday, October 18.

In fact, according to Erlina, the control of COVID-19 transmission in hospitals is much better than public facilities.

This is because patients who test positive for COVID-19 are definitely isolated in a controlled manner. Health workers also wear complete personal protective equipment. Meanwhile, no one has identified who came to public facilities, including OTG patients.

The bad impact, non-COVID-19 patients who have comorbid diseases such as diabetes, heart attacks, chronic lung disease refrain from going to the hospital, so that their condition worsens.

"This has an impact on patients who already have comorbidities, they are afraid to go to the hospital, in the end many die at home because they do not get access to health," said Erlina.

Therefore, Erlina asked the government to be more serious about reducing the number of COVID-19 transmission rather than only increasing the quantity of health facilities and isolation locations.

"The problem is not only adding hospitals, adding equipment, and so on. No. But, just reduce the cases. Reduce cases in various ways, so that the hospital work is also of higher quality," he said.