Galang Island Which Will Be The Location Of The Former Vietnam Camp COVID-19 Hospital

Galang Island Refugee Camp (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

JAKARTA - The government will soon create a special hospital for people with the corona virus or COVID-19 on Galang Island, Batam.

Spokesman for handling COVID-19, Achmad Yurianto said the government would not build an emergency hospital like the one in Wuhan City, China. According to him, this special corona hospital will use state assets that were previously built by The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to accommodate refugees from Vietnam.

"Galang Island used to be used to accommodate boat people, refugees from Vietnam in ancient times. ... That is our asset," said Yuri at the Ministry of Health's Office, Jalan Rasuna Said, South Jakarta, Wednesday, March 4.

He explained that in the island area there were still buildings that were used to accommodate refugees. In addition, on Galang Island, there are still remains of a hospital building. Yuri said, the entire building was in a state of disrepair and there were also buildings whose roofs were missing, so it took time for rearrangement.

The reason for building the hospital needs to be built is if there is a lockdown scenario in other countries such as some time ago in Wuhan City, China. At that time, the government was known to have repatriated 238 people from the city. So, if such a scenario occurs again, the government will no longer be confused about where these people who have been repatriated will be quarantined.

"This scenario means that it hasn't happened yet, we are just starting to choose places if in some countries there are lockdowns," he said.

Meanwhile, the government also continues to carry out mapping for the construction of the hospital. Because on Wednesday, March 4 yesterday, TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto and PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, Head of BNPB Doni Monardo, Deputy Head of BIN Teddy Laksamana visited the island.

During the visit, the group monitored several facilities that were still on the island, such as the evacuation barracks, PMI 1 and 2 Hospitals, and the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) post.

To note, this Vietnamese refugee camp was built in 1979 and began to be occupied by refugees until 1996 after they returned to their home country or received asylum from another country. At that time there were about 250 thousand people living on the island.

The discourse on establishing this special hospital actually happened before COVID-19 entered Indonesia. Some time ago, Minister of Health (Menkes) Terawan Agus Putranto and other authorities held a meeting at the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud MD.

After the meeting, Terawan said that the construction of the hospital was necessary because he learned from the refusal of Natuna residents who refused when their area was used as an observation site for hundreds of Indonesians who had just been returned from Wuhan after the spread of COVID-19 in the city.

Meanwhile, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said, there are several criteria that must be met by the location to be used as a hospital, namely near a military base and the facilities already exist.

Later, President Joko Widodo said he would make a building there for a special infectious hospital on Galang Island, Batam. In particular, this hospital is for patients with the corona virus or COVID-19.

Jokowi said the buildings that were to be used already existed, had to be polished a little and added health facilities. So, he said, the preparations would not take a long time because there was no need to build a new hospital.

"We want speed. I want facilities that are truly ready at any time. Although I have to convey, each region has 132 hospitals that are ready with isolation facilities, but we also need such as those on Sebaru Island and Galang Island for preparation. "Jokowi said at the State Palace, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, March 3.