High Isoman Patient Mortality, DPR: Government Must Attention

Illustration of a COVID-19 Patient Funeral/Antara

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IX DPR RI Kurniasih Mufidayati reminded the government to pay special attention to cases of deaths of COVID-19 patients due to self-isolation (isoman).

The reason is, the case of death from isoman patients has contributed to the death rate of COVID-19 patients in Indonesia recently.

This, according to Mufida, is due to the scarcity of oxygen and medicine, the full occupancy of hospital beds and the problem of getting an ambulance that triggers the high mortality of self-isolated patients.

"It can be checked in the field how difficult it is for patients who are self-isolating to get oxygen cylinders and medicines, especially for the antiviral and antibiotic classes. Not to mention the problem of full hospital capacity, including the difficulty of getting an ambulance for patients with COVID-19 emergency," he said. Mufida, Wednesday, July 14th.

According to him, the Telemedicine program launched by the government has not been proven to work well in helping isoman patients. In addition, information related to isoman is still difficult to obtain by the public.

"This is a problem. This proves that isoman guidelines and medicines for COVID patients are not affordable and have not been obtained," said Mufida.

Therefore, the DKI Jakarta legislator reminded the government not to do a lot of symbolic and ceremonial work. However, how is the government able to control the soaring price of drugs, including the availability of adequate oxygen cylinders for Covid patients.

In fact, Mufida said, based on data from the LaporCovid-19 Institute, 265 COVID-19 patients died while self-isolating at home during June to July 2, 2021. The data was compiled based on the results of the LaporCovid19 team's search on social media such as Twitter, online news and direct reports of residents to LaporCovid-19.

A total of 265 victims were spread across 47 cities and regencies from 10 provinces, namely DKI Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, DIY, East Java, Lampung, Riau Islands, Riau and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

"This is another fact that revealed data related to the death of COVID patients when isoman. The data was not collected by the Ministry of Health. Personally, I am concerned about the high number of cases of death of COVID patients when isoman. This should be the government's attention too," said the PKS politician.

Not to mention, continued Mufida, Indonesia recorded the highest daily COVID-19 death record in the world with 1,007 people on Sunday, July 11. That number overtook India, which was in third place with 720 deaths, then Russia 749, and Brazil with 597 deaths.

On the previous day, on Saturday, July 10, Indonesia's daily death cases were in third place with 826 people. In second position is still occupied by India with 899 cases and Brazil topped with 1,172 deaths.

For this reason, Mufida hopes that COVID-19 patients with moderate and severe symptoms should not be forced to self-isolate at home because they will not receive supervision.

It is better, he said, for COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe symptoms, especially those with comorbidities, to join the hospital ER queue. Because according to him, at least there is treatment that health workers can do for COVID-19 patients with moderate to severe symptoms if something happens.

"At least if COVID patients with moderate and severe symptoms can be given oxygen and directly handled medically by hospital health workers. This is much better than self-isolation but not knowing what to do and taking what drugs," he said.

"Therefore, a solution must be found to open an emergency hospital and an independent isolation room by the Ministry of Health which is under direct control. This is a solution to minimize the death of COVID patients when isoman," he added.

Mufida added that problems in the field such as the scarcity of oxygen cylinders and drugs, the Ministry of Health Telemedicine program must be maximized for COVID patients and the availability of hospital beds must be addressed immediately.

"Hopefully we can get out of the COVID emergency. And the problem of scarcity of oxygen cylinders and medicine as well as the availability of hospital beds can be resolved. The Ministry of Health's Telemedicine program must be maximized for COVID patients. God willing, we are optimistic that we can get out of this pandemic," concluded Mufida.

Previously, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin acknowledged that the implementation of self-isolation (isoman) for COVID-19 patients was problematic. Many patients who should have been hospitalized were not accommodated in the hospital because it was full.

On the other hand, Budi said, many COVID-19 patients who should be able to undergo isomanism at home are being treated in hospital.

"About isomanism, this is indeed a problem for us because many people are not admitted to the hospital because the hospital is full. We have also observed that many people do not need to go to the hospital first, have already been admitted to the hospital, so the hospital is full," he said. Budi in an online Working Meeting with Commission IX of the DPR, Tuesday, July 13.