Ordered By Prabowo, TNI Will Immediately Take Medical Devices From China

Prabowo Subianto (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto ordered TNI Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto to provide a plane to pick up medical equipment in Shang Hai, China. This medical device will be used to tackle the corona virus pandemic or COVID-19 in Indonesia.

Through the Minister of Defense Letter number B / 667 / M / III / 2020 dated March 18, Prabowo asked the TNI Commander to provide support in the form of an airplane.

"Ask the TNI Commander to provide aircraft support in order to retrieve medical equipment in Shanghai, People's Republic of China," Prabowo said in a letter quoted by VOI on Thursday, March 19.

The letter explained that medical supplies to be transported to Indonesia are disposable masks, N95 masks, protective clothing goggles, gloves, shoe covers, infrared thermometers, and surgical caps. The equipment will be used by the Ministry of Defense and TNI's medical team for the COVID-19 Task Force team.

Spokesperson for the Minister of Defense, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, said that Prabowo ordered the TNI to take the grant equipment according to the bureaucracy.

"In order to make the G to G (Government to Government) process easier and faster than using other facilities," said Dahnil in the release we received.

After the issuance of the letter, said Dahnil, the aircraft belonging to the TNI would depart within the next one or two days.

As of today, 309 people have tested positive for COVID-19 after the first cases were announced on Monday, March 2. A total of 25 patients were later declared dead and 15 others are now declared cured after undergoing a second test before testing negative.

If Indonesia received a grant from China, some time ago Indonesia also received assistance from Singapore in the form of personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Health Office in Batam City.

The protective equipment provided to the Batam Health Office is in the form of 50 hazmat suits and 2 breathing aids.

President Joko Widodo also said that he did not refuse foreign assistance to fight the virus which originated in the city of Wuhan, China.

"No, not (refusing foreign assistance)," when he was confirmed about the issue of him refusing assistance from other countries for handling COVID-19 at the Bogor Palace, West Java, Monday, March 16 last.