598 Doctors Died During The COVID-19 Pandemic

DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Chief Executive of the IDI Doctor's Mitigation Team, dr. Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel said as many as 598 doctors died during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Seeing that number, he was worried that the total death toll of his fellow doctors would surpass 600 people.

Based on statistical data from the IDI Mitigation Team, general practitioners are in the highest position for the highest number of deaths, namely 319 people (5 of them are professors), followed by specialist doctors as many as 270 people (29 professors) and residents as many as 9 people.

Meanwhile, based on gender, 84 percent or 502 doctors are male and the remaining 16 percent are female.

By region, the highest number of doctor deaths came from East Java, namely 127 people, followed by DKI Jakarta (92 people), Central Java (89 people), West Java (83 people) and North Sumatra (41 people).

"Seeing this figure, we among doctors are heartbroken to see how many of our teachers have died, our brothers and sisters," said dr. Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel in an online press conference held by the IDI Mitigation Team, quoted by Antara, Wednesday, July 28.

Reflecting on this figure, dr. Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel asked for help from the community to participate in reducing the transmission rate of COVID-19, including to doctors, through the implementation of strict health protocols and vaccinations.

These two things are important to also protect groups that are vulnerable to being exposed to the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and at risk of developing severe conditions.

He also asked for government support in terms of resources so that health workers can continue to serve the needs of the community.

"We ask that all of you with the capabilities you have, please help so that we can reduce the number of transmissions, so that the health burden can be reduced day by day," said dr. Mahesa Paranadipa Maikel.

Regarding the third COVID-19 vaccine for health workers, currently it has been given to 3,800 health workers in 14 vertical hospitals under the coordination of the Ministry of Health. Currently, the vaccination is in the process of being distributed to the regions.

Conditions in Sumatra

The number of doctors' deaths in Sumatra recorded a number that even surpassed 10. The head of IDI for the Aceh region, dr. Safrizal Rahman said as many as 10 doctors died until this Wednesday.

Of this number, 41 doctors are still in self-isolation and five are undergoing treatment. Meanwhile, for the total number of cases, 22,104 confirmed cases were recorded as of July 27, 2021.

"Until now, Alhamdulillah IDI Aceh continues to advocate for members to continue to maintain health. For Aceh itself, health workers, the efforts made by the government to support their health are extraordinary," said Safrizal.

"We are still in a state of readiness to deal with COVID-19, although community participation is most needed," said Safrizal.

The doctor's death rate is also relatively high in the Riau Archipelago. Dr. Rusdani from IDI Riau Islands confirmed the death cases of doctors reached 7 people to date. Of that number, one of the doctors was 8 months pregnant. Meanwhile, the total number of doctors who were confirmed positive reached 167 people.

In Jambi, the head of the IDI COVID-19 task force for the Jambi region, dr. Nirwan satria noted that three specialist doctors (surgeons, neurosurgeons and orthopedics) had died out of a total of 90 doctors who were confirmed positive for COVID-19 as of this Wednesday.

He also noted a rising number of cases which continued to break through the 200 mark since July 18 until the next few days. According to Nirwan, the number of cases has even reached 442 from the previous one, even less than 100 cases.

Not only from the number of cases, Nirwan also confirmed the entry of the Delta Plus variant in his work area, which is known to spread faster than the original virus.

As one of the steps to detect cases early and help protect health workers there, the local IDI in collaboration with the diagnostic center laboratory at Andalas University, Padang routinely conducts swabs.

"Our preparation is to educate all of us how to protect ourselves by wearing the right masks, keeping our distance, keeping our eyes, nose and eyes from exposure," said Nirwan.

In South Sumatra, the local IDI representative, Dr. Trisnawarman said as many as 3 doctors died from 154 people who were confirmed positive to date. Meanwhile, the ICU occupancy rate has reached 88 percent, specifically in the Palembang area.

"Yesterday there were 1020 cases. Indeed, it fluctuated, sometimes it increased and sometimes it fell, maybe because it was related to the examination of the sample. Samples sometimes piled up and had not been examined so the results the next day were higher," he said.

Trisnawan said, in order to anticipate patients who were rejected at the hospital, a number of places such as the athlete's house and the hajj dormitory were prepared as places for isolation of patients with mild symptoms.