63 Patients At Dr Sardjito Hospital Died Due To Depleting Oxygen Stocks: The Ministry Of Health Must Be Responsible

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JAKARTA - In one day, on Saturday, July 3, as many as 63 patients at the Dr. Sardjito Central General Hospital, Yogyakarta, reportedly died due to delays in oxygen supply.

In response to this, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Commission IX, Melkiades Laka Lena, assessed that the Ministry of Health is responsible for regulations and mobilizing the industry so that it can supply drugs and medical devices.

Moreover, on Saturday, July 3, the main director of Sardjito Hospital had sent a letter regarding the condition of their medical oxygen supply.

"So the Ministry of Health must be responsible for the deaths of 63 patients at Sardjito Hospital. Because they should have been able to help since the letter from Sardjito Hospital was delivered", said Melki to reporters, Sunday, July 4.

"So there must be someone responsible for the deaths of 63 patients at the Hospital. It was the negligence of the Ministry of Health who had been given a letter but did not move", he continued.

According to Melki, this incident should be a valuable lesson in the future so that similar incidents do not happen again.

For this reason, the House of Representatives Commission IX has asked the Ministry of Health to cooperate with the Ministry of Industry, as well as players in the country's medical oxygen industry, including distributors in Java and Bali and throughout Indonesia to ensure the supply of medical oxygen gas, especially at referral health facilities.

"Sardjito Hospital is a national referral hospital for COVID-19, it doesn't make sense until they shouted medical gas, so they were only secured this morning. What's the problem? This needs to be investigated by the responsible party. This is not an ordinary administrative problem, it involves 63 patients who died because of carelessness, there needs to be a legal process related to this negligence", said Melki.

Melki reminded that the oxygen supply at the referral hospital must be ensured to be safe. "Don't let this kind of incident happen again, there are victims just because of our negligence", he said.

In addition, Melki hopes that people who practice self-isolation, if they are declared cured, can borrow oxygen cylinders first.

"Or oxygen cylinders that are not for medical needs but can be used like oxygen cylinders can be used to deal with current difficult conditions", said Melkiades Laka Lena.