Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi Reports To Jokowi: An Extraordinary Increase In COVID-19 Cases

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadiki (ANTARA/HO-Setpres Press Bureau)

JAKARTA - Minister of Health (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin reported the latest developments on the spread of COVID-19 and the condition of hospitals, health workers, and medicines to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

This was conveyed during a limited meeting (ratas) held at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta.

"We reported earlier on the condition of our hospitals, our nurses, our medicines", Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Monday, June 21.

He said the government through the Ministry of Health had indeed prepared themselves to anticipate the increase in active cases of COVID-19 in the country, starting from beds, medicines, to health workers.

This anticipation is made based on the government's experience when facing a spike in cases in January and February.

Next to President Jokowi, the former Deputy Minister of SOEs also reported an extraordinary increase in cases. So, Jokowi then ordered the handling of COVID-19 to be carried out from upstream to downstream.

"We convey that so far there has been an extraordinary increase and it is important to be able to focus not only on the downstream side on the hospital side, on the side of treating the sick but more importantly focusing on the upstream side of how we prevent these healthy people from becoming sick", he explained.

Based on the report, Jokowi asked for the implementation of Micro-scale Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) to be implemented properly and supported by accelerated vaccination.

"His direction is that we must strengthen field implementation for the micro-scale PPKM program and secondly, we must accelerate vaccination program", said Budi.

In the same press conference, Chairman of the Committee for COVID-19 Handling and National Economic Recovery (KPCPEN) Airlangga Hartarto said his party also reported an increase in the occupancy of hospital facilities to more than 70 percent in 29 provinces and 87 districts/cities.

"Therefore, the direction of the President is to continue to maintain community discipline regarding 3M and this is an assignment from National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB)", explained Airlangga.