The Outpouring Of The COVID-19 Medical Personnel About The Negative Stigma Of The Community

Captain Fitdy, a doctor treating COVID-19 patients (YouTube screenshot)

JAKARTA - One of the medical officers of the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital (RSD) Wisma Atlet, Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Captain Fitdy poured out his heart while handling positive patients. In order to carry out his duties, he was willing to leave the family for a long time.

During his tenure, Fitdy also highlighted the existence of a negative stigma from the community towards medical personnel. He hopes that the stigma in the form of rejection from the community towards medical personnel, because they are considered to be able to transmit the virus, can disappear immediately.

Furthermore, Fitdy said, medical personnel had struggled wholeheartedly to treat positive patients with COVID-19, even when they had to wear complete PPE, they often had to endure thirst and hunger. Because, PPE makes it difficult for them to do it.

"We work 8 hours. When using complete PPE, we have to hold back from drinking and eating. In fact, urinating. Because the situation is like that," he said, during a virtual press conference via BNPB YouTube, Sunday, April 26.

Fitdy asked the public to accept medical personnel who are currently at the forefront of handling COVID-19 wholeheartedly, without worrying about contracting them because their work has been carried out according to health protocols.

"Please sincerely we are human too, which we also carry out with heart, so please accept us with heart," he said.

According to Fitdy, handling COVID-19 cases is the most difficult experience he has had while serving as a medic in the military for the past 10 years. Not to mention, he said, tormented by longing for family but could not meet.

"Colleagues who have not returned home for one month, two months, are greatly helped by the current communication media. In between our busy schedules, we are medical personnel in the context of frontline figures, spending time communicating with families, video calling with relatives at home. or in the village, "he said.

Infographic Update on the acceleration of the handling of COVID-19 in Indonesia as of April 26 2020 at 12.00 WIB. # UniteLawanCovid19 pic.twitter.com/6BcsGtrAV3

- BNPB Indonesia (@BNPB_Indonesia) April 26, 2020

Fitdy also invited the public to play a role together in handling the COVID-19 pandemic case. One of the things that the community can do is to follow government recommendations to stay at home and implement physical distancing.

"Please protect yourself very much, protect others. So that messages related to prevention are (obeyed). Let us win the war against COVID-19," he said.