There Is Inequality In Access To Tracing-Testing Up To The Interior And The Government Must Be Aware Of It

Illustration (Pixabay)

JAKARTA - The LaporCovid-19 Coalition considers that there is still inequality in access to contact tracing, testing and treatment of COVID-19 cases between the capital city and other areas such as villages and hinterlands.

Co-Initiator of LaporCovid-19 Ahmad Arif said the number of testing and tracing in Indonesia was not balanced. The large number of national testing figures was also contributed by Jakarta.

"The majority of PCR tests are still carried out in Jakarta. About 30 percent of the national PCR tests are carried out in Jakarta. So, when tests in Jakarta decrease, nationally it will also decrease significantly," said Arif on Wednesday, September 8.

Meanwhile, Arif received reports that testing and tracing outside Jakarta was still weak. The further inland and outside Java, this inequality is getting bigger.

"Many people complain that for example, they have reported COVID-19 symptoms, but their families have not been traced, not tested. Then, people have difficulty finding hospitals," said Arif.

Arif gave an example, a resident of Ogan Ilir Regency, South Sumatra reported on August 2, 2021. In the report, there were residents of Surya Adi Village, Mesuji District who had many symptoms of COVID-19. However, unfortunately there is no tracing, testing, to treatment from the local COVID-19 Task Force.

Then, a resident of Sidoarjo Regency, East Java reported on July 11, 2021 that he was in close contact with his sister who was positive for COVID-19 based on the results of an antigen test. Unfortunately, the puskesmas did not perform a PCR test on them.

The lack of testing and tracing of COVID-19 cases in these areas, according to Arif, will cause problems because the recorded data does not match field conditions. As a result, the government's strategy for dealing with the pandemic has become ineffective.

"We are very problematic with data. This data can affect two things, namely policies which can then be problematic and also public risk perceptions which are also problematic," he said.