Crazy COVID-19 Cases, Jakarta Short Of 7,000 Health Workers

Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria (Photo: Diah Ayu Wardani/VOI)

JAKARTA - Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria admitted that his party lacked more than 7,000 health workers in the face of the current surge in COVID-19 cases.

"These professionals need 2,156 more. We need to add 5,139 more for vaccinators," said Riza at City Hall, Central Jakarta, Tuesday, June 29.

Riza said, thousands of health workers were needed to treat COVID-19 patients at referral hospitals, along with the addition of bed and ICU room capacities, to staff serving vaccinations.

Riza admitted that the DKI Provincial Government had asked Banten Province to send assistance for health workers. However, this request was rejected by the Governor of Banten Wahidin because the area still lacks health workers.

However, Riza said the need for additional health workers in the capital city had been conveyed to the central government. Currently, the addition is being worked on. Likewise with other health support facilities.

"So, we will add everything. Referral hospitals, the occupancy of hospital beds is increased, then also health workers, ICU rooms, laboratories, vitamins, medicines, masks, everything is increased," he said.

However, he said increasing the number of health workers will take time. Therefore, the government seeks to increase this number of volunteers.

"Doctors throughout Indonesia must have been mobilized by the health ministry, they have been distributed to all provinces, divided evenly," said Riza.

"All needs such as health workers and doctors cannot be created quickly. But volunteers can also. Volunteers who will be trained will be prepared later," he continued.

Riza asked the public to understand that all health workers have worked hard from the beginning until today in order to help COVID-19 patients.

Therefore, he views that the most important handling of the pandemic comes from upstream. This means that the community must prevent transmission by implementing strict health protocols.

"The way is, we all citizens are disciplined at home, wear masks, wash hands, carry out 5M. That's our struggle. If we love our families, with health workers, volunteers who have been working morning and night leaving their families, we must be disciplined," concluded he.