National Hospital BOR Drops To 29 Precent, Jokowi: Thank God, We Should Be Grateful

Resident Joko Widodo (left) talks with Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto (right) when opening the 2021 National Coordination Meeting for Inflation Control at the State Palace / Antara

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said that the bed occupancy ratio (BOR) in hospitals nationally has now decreased to 29 percent. This is in line with the continued decline in the number of daily COVID-19 cases.

"Alhamdulillah, our BOR today has decreased to 29 percent. We should be grateful for this", said President Jokowi during a virtual meeting of 100 Indonesian Economists, which was monitored from the INDEF Youtube channel, Jakarta, Thursday.

Jokowi said the national BOR was at 68 percent at the end of December 2020. Then, it slid in mid-May 2021 at 29 percent.

However, the improved conditions in early 2021 did not last long. This is because, in mid-July 2021, COVID-19 cases in the country soared due to the emergence of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

On July 18, 2021, the President received a report that the national BOR had reached 80 percent, even in some hospitals the occupancy rate was 100 percent.

According to the President, the condition of the BOR at the COVID-19 Emergency Hospital (RSD) of Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, Jakarta, he always observed and became an important indicator of the condition of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In September 2020, the President said the BOR of Wisma Athletes had reached 92 percent. But after that, it continued to slope to 15 percent in mid-May 2021.

"But the jump at the end of June 2021, on June 30, even reached 91 percent, and continued for two weeks, if the increase is still certain, Wisma Atlet will collapse", he said.

The government then issued a policy to enforce restrictions on community activities (PPKM).

Currently, the BOR at the Wisma Atlet RSDC has decreased by 12 percent. However, the President reminded all parties to remain vigilant against the transmission of COVID-19.

"Be vigilant, and full of caution in deciding any existing policies, because this item is unpredictable, this item is difficult to predict, and full of uncertainty, especially the delta variant", explained President Jokowi.