Omicron Goes Crazy, KSP Ensures Government Strengthens Healthcare Services At Hospitals To Community Health Centers

JAKARTA - Main Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Brian Sri Prahastuti ensured that the Government has strengthened health facility services (faskes) to deal with the increase in cases of COVID-19, the Omicron variant.

Brian Sri Prahastuti said that the strengthening of health facilities, both for referrals (hospitals) and primary (health centers, clinics, and telemedicine).

"The capacity of health facilities depends on the number of health workers, the availability of drugs, and medical equipment, including the number of beds, ICU, ventilators, and oxygen. Now, all of this has been strengthened to balance the number of cases handled," said Brian, quoted from Antara, Saturday, February 12.

Brian emphasized that the referral health facilities have now increased the capacity of beds and ICUs by building emergency hospital tents and converting ordinary treatment rooms into COVID-19 isolation rooms and ICUs. In addition, there are also additional stocks of drugs and medical devices.

"The number of health workers, both doctors and nurses, continues to be added with such shift arrangements. Thus, if there are health workers who are tired or exposed, they can be resolved immediately," said Brian.

For primary health facilities, said Brian, the focus is more on handling and monitoring patients without symptoms and with mild symptoms.

"That way the hospital only handles moderate, severe, and critical cases. This is the strategy," she said.

On that occasion, Brian also revealed that the Government has reactivated the financing of COVID-19 cases for health workers incentives, providing drugs, and treating COVID-19 patients, including recruiting doctors to be placed in emergency hospitals, hospitals and health centers.

To ensure the government's efforts run as expected, the Presidential Staff Office continues to monitor and verify the field related to the readiness of health facilities, the adequacy of drugs and medical devices.

"We will also guard the alertness of the task force at the center and the regions, especially for potential crises," said Brian.

As is known, as of February 11, 2022 at 12.00 p.m., the National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) reported the number of daily positive cases of COVID-19 as many as 40.489 cases. DKI Jakarta became the area that reported the highest case in the last 24 hours.