Bad News From Bogor City: Lack Of Health Workers To Handle COVID-19 Patients

Bogor City Hospital Expansion, which was previously named Bogor City Field Hospital. ANTARA/HO-Bogor City Government

JAKARTA - The Bogor City Government (Pemkot) lacks health workers, especially to handle positive COVID-19 patients whose numbers continue to increase being treated in hospitals and isolation centers.

"In the current state of the COVID-19 emergency, the City of Bogor lacks health personnel, so it requires additional," said Deputy Mayor of Bogor Dedie A Rachim, in Bogor City, Monday, after reviewing the Bogor City Hospital Expansion Hospital, previously called the Field Hospital Bogor City, with a capacity of 64 beds and a COVID-19 Isolation Center in IPB A5 Dormitory, Dramaga Campus of IPB with a capacity of 184 beds.

According to Dedie A Rachim, currently handling COVID-19 patients in Bogor City, the problem is the shortage of health workers, because the number of positive COVID-19 patients being treated has increased sharply and some health workers have also been exposed to COVID-19.

"This is a challenge for us, the Bogor City Government," he said.

Dedie explained, the City Government has increased the availability of beds for COVID-19 patients by activating IPB's A5 Dormitory and re-operating the Field Hospital which is currently named the Hospital Expansion of the Hospital. In those two places, there are 248 beds.

"After the availability of beds increases, the problem now is the lack of health personnel," he said again.

According to Dedie, the Bogor City Government is currently opening vacancies to recruit health workers, to fill the shortage of health workers in hospitals and isolation centers.

Previously, the Mayor of Bogor, Bima Arya, when he visited the Marzoeki Mahdi Hospital, Bogor City, Sunday (27/6), said that the handling of COVID-19 patients in Bogor City had become less than optimal because of the 11,214 health workers in Bogor City, there were 336 health workers (29.96 percent) were exposed to COVID-19.

"Currently there are 336 health workers in Bogor City exposed to COVID-19 and still sick, while the increase in COVID-19 cases in Bogor City this week reached 78 percent," said Bima Arya.