All Oxygen Allocated For Medical Purposes, Hoarders Will Be Punish

Oxygen tube/Between

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Jodi Mahardi, emphasized that all available oxygen must be allocated for medical purposes, especially for COVID-19 patients. Including oxygen which was to be used in the industrial sector.

"The Emergency PPKM Coordinator (Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan) requested that 100 percent of oxygen production be used for medical purposes first. This means that all industrial allocations must be transferred to the medical sector", Jodi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube account, Monday, July 5.

He said this policy had also been submitted to the Ministry of Industry. So that later, the ministry will succeed in the allocation of oxygen in the midst of increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country.

Furthermore, Jodi also reminded that no parties should try to be hoarders of oxygen cylinders in the midst of these conditions for the sake of making a profit. Because anyone caught hoarding the goods will be punished.

"Don't try to be a speculator. Don't try to hoard and take advantage of the many requests. The law will act", he said.

He said that to prevent hoarding, the regional government would be asked to form a special task force tasked with ensuring the availability of medical equipment, drugs, and oxygen. "Meanwhile, the police will take firm action against speculators hoarding oxygen cylinders", he said.

"For the general public, please report if someone is hoarding drugs and selling them above the specified price. Those who dance in mourning are criminals against humanity", added Jodi.

Previously reported, the government acknowledged that there was a shortage of oxygen for COVID-19 patients in several areas in the country. Thus, to meet this need, the government plans to import medical oxygen and encourage domestic production.

In fact, the Coordinator for the Implementation of Emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, said that the oxygen import process is currently underway.

"Regarding oxygen, there is indeed a shortage in some places. But we will immediately give it and we will import it (oxygen, ed). Now it is ongoing", Luhut said as quoted from the YouTube Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment of the Republic of Indonesia, Monday, July 5.

In addition, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment also encourages domestic medical oxygen producers to allocate industrial needs into medical needs. At least, currently, five producers have been asked to do this to meet the oxygen needs for COVID-19 patients in the country.

"Of the five oxygen producers we asked for 100 percent given to health problems", said Luhut.

Adding Luhut's statement, Health Minister, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said that later each province would form an oxygen task force. They will later be tasked with overcoming the problem of oxygen scarcity for COVID-19 patients in several hospitals.

"We will mobilize each of these task forces to adjust the existing supply to the demands of each hospital and also to transport logistics to each hospital from the existing producers", he said.