Negative Stigma That Scares COVID-19 Sufferers From Seeking Treatment

Illustrations (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The news of residents' rejection of the bodies of positive patients with the corona virus or COVID-19 has another effect, which is to make symptomatic people reluctant to go to the hospital because they are worried about the negative stigma

Quoted from Suara.com, some time ago there was a resident who asked for help from the Regional Government of DKI Jakarta after being evicted by residents near his residence on suspicion of contracting COVID-19.

It was Syamsi Hadi, who was confused about finding a place of isolation for his wife. He was forced to stay at a hotel because apart from being evicted from the neighborhood where he lived, the hospital could not treat them because there were no rooms available.

In addition, medical personnel who treat COVID-19 patients have also refused. This was disclosed by the Head of Emergency and Logistics BPBD Sleman, Makwan. He said, there was rejection of medical personnel in one hospital, but it is not known how many medical personnel were rejected.

The reason for the rejection of medical personnel is because people are afraid that the corona virus will start through medical personnel.

"The case is in a hospital. The number has not yet been confirmed," Makwan said as quoted by detik.com.

"There have been cases of refusal by residents to medical personnel as well, but we continue to educate the public slowly," he added.

With the many rejections of People Under Supervision (ODP) and their families and medical personnel on duty during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) assessed that panic and worry in this community led to stigmatization and discrimination against COVID-19 patients and medical workers. .

In fact, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), stigmatization of patients with certain diseases actually causes various negative effects on patients; including social isolation, loss of access to life and living, and even depression.

"This impact will hinder the patient's self-healing and it is not impossible that this can also happen to COVID-19 patients who receive stigmatization and discriminatory behavior," said IDI Chairman Moh Adib Khumaidi to VOI, Wednesday, April 15.

Apart from having a negative impact, it is not impossible for patients who know that they have become ODP, Patients Under Supervision (PDP) or even those who are positive for COVID-19, will be dishonest with medical personnel when they come to health facilities. If you have this, then you can be sure that health workers cannot take appropriate action to break the chain of spreading the virus.

"(Stigmatization and discrimination) is not impossible to cause dishonesty of patients to medical personnel when they come to health services. So that the chain of transmission will be even wider," he said.

As for medical personnel, this refusal makes them vulnerable to disease. Because, when they arrive home, medical personnel can rest after they are awake for days while on duty in the hospital.

"This refusal will force some of them to return to the hospital for the night. So it is very risky for the quality of their own health," he explained.

So, reflecting on this fact, the government through the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) should be even more massive in providing information related to the spread of COVID-19. Given, the lack of information on the spread, prevention and cure of disease is a significant factor in the existence of stigmatization and discrimination against patients and medical personnel.

"The government, in this case the Ministry of Health, needs to increase information related to dissemination and prevention to the public. That way, stigmatization that leads to discriminatory behavior against ODP and PDP COVID-19 does not occur," he said.