Not Just Vaccination, Minister Of Health Budi Says There Are 4 Pillars Of Pandemic Handling

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin/Antara

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin accepted the recommendation of the Professor of the Faculty of Medicine, Airlangga University, Surabaya, regarding the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic to the government. Furthermore, the input will be brought into the discussion meeting and followed up. Budi hopes that FK Unair and the Faculty of Public Health can help the Ministry of Health in handling the pandemic which is divided into 4 groups. The first is the process group, the second is testing, tracing and isolation. The third is vaccination, and the fourth is treatment. "Those are the four pillars that WHO asks all countries to carry out carefully so that they can control the pandemic. With a replication rate target of 1 percent. This means that one person infects three or two people, not one person infects four or five as is now happening with variants. Delta," said Budi in a seminar on the joint action movement to simultaneously tackle COVID-19 or the COVID-19 Gebrak initiated by Universitas Airlangga Surabaya, broadcast online, Friday, July 30. . "And how to reduce it to number one, four things earlier. Therefore, we need assistance from Airlangga University," he said. Furthermore, Budi explained, regarding input in the treatment group, the Ministry of Health saw that all pandemics would not end quickly. Because, later it will become a normal epidemic. This condition will occur if the treatment is good. "Faculty of Airlangga, because it has many treatment experts, including the treatment of infectious and pulmonary diseases, I beg if you can cooperate with us what therapy does have a chance to reduce hospital fatalities," said Budi. Budi said he had asked the deputy minister of health to create a special working group to discuss therapy in hospitals. Which resulted in a therapy that reduces the severity in the hospital. For the second group in terms of vaccination, according to Budi, Unair is the most advanced in conducting research and development of Indonesian vaccines. "I feel that we should be able to help Unair more in accelerating vaccine production and vaccine production. Because this is what is advancing from Unair," he said. "So I ask that the second pillar besides treatment, is vaccination. Please remind me to be able to encourage the acceleration of clinical trials and also "Acceleration of the possibility of Indonesia's vaccine production," he continued. According to Budi, Indonesia's weakness in handling the pandemic also lies in the tracing, testing and isolation groups. "This is our weakness, vaccination is good, but testing, tracing and isolation, we are still not or below the average for a good country," he said. carried out on the basis of epidemiological rules to infiltrate people affected by COVID-19 and tracking is carried out. "The discipline of testing, tracing like this is very far from our standards," said Budi. ways to deal with a pandemic. "We must be strong in tracing, testing isolation, also strong in health protocols and treatment strategies. So the four pillars or the four main strategies suggested by WHO must be carried out together," said Budi. regarding the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic to the government.

In the recommendation, the FK Unair Professor asked the government to strengthen assistance for self-isolated patients by optimizing telemedicine services, including equipping oximeters and other facilities.

Then, the COVID-19 Task Force at the local level such as RT/RW must be strengthened to consistently educate health protocols to open hotlines that can be contacted in emergency situations.

"Attention needs to be given to vulnerable groups in society, namely the elderly, pregnant women, infants, children, people with comorbidities and caution in family clusters," said FK Unair Professor Hendy Hendarto in an online seminar, Friday, July 30.