Jokowi's Son-in-law Bobby Nasution Responds To Presidential Order: Vaccination In Medan Increases, COVID-19 Isolation Is Ready

JAKARTA - Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution responded to President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi) instructions. Vaccination in Medan City, Bobby emphasized, was increased, where the isolation of COVID-19 patients had been prepared.

In accordance with President Jokowi's instructions, the procurement of vaccines must also be increased. This instruction I and Deputy Mayor Aulia Rachman received while attending a briefing from the President to all regional heads, virtually.

The enthusiasm of the residents of Medan City to vaccinate has also increased, so that the Medan City Government is currently increasing the stock of vaccines and being processed," said Bobby Nasution, Monday, July 19.

Bobby, Jokowi's son-in-law, emphasized that the Medan City Government has prepared an independent isolation location and an emergency hospital that can be used if the number of infected cases increases.

"We also continue to keep Medan City's BOR stable.

Again, I invite the people of Medan City to comply with health protocols and apply the 5M and 3T," he said.

Previously, the Medan City Government, North Sumatra, prepared the building of the former Deli Tobacco Hospital to be a place for isolation of COVID-19 patients. This preparation is in anticipation of a spike in COVID-19 cases in Medan.

"One option is the Deli Tobacco Hospital belonging to PTPN II to anticipate the surge in COVID-19 in Medan City. Of the 3Ts (testing, tracing, treatment), one of them is treatment," said Medan Mayor Bobby Nasution while reviewing the location of Deli Tobacco Hospital. quoted by Antara, Saturday, July 17.

The Deli Tobacco Hospital belonging to PTPN II is located on Jalan Putri Hijau, Medan. This RSU was the first modern hospital on the island of Sumatra during the Dutch East Indies era.

This hospital was built in 1885, in line with the development of Medan City as the center of the plantation industry.

Bobby Nasution explained that later the building of the former Deli Tobacco Hospital would not only be used for isolation, but also as an emergency hospital for handling COVID-19 patients with mild to severe conditions.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) asked regional heads to work hard in the field to ensure that the handling of COVID-19 runs optimally. Regional heads were asked to check the readiness of handling COVID-19 from hospitals to disciplining residents to obey health protocols.

"Some actions in the field, the first is field action for prevention. Disciplined the community, following health protocols, wearing masks, keeping distance, not crowding, this is the key. The public must also know how to detect early contracting COVID-19, where to get medicine, where to consult," Jokowi said in a virtual briefing to regional heads throughout Indonesia which was broadcast via the Presidential Secretariat Youtube, Monday, July 19.

The most important thing at this time, said Jokowi, was the preparation of isolation places, especially for COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms. This preparation is requested by Jokowi at least at the sub-district level.

“Especially for densely populated areas, especially in cities. Because the field checks that I did (there is a place) 3 times 3 (meters) are inhabited by 4 people, this acceleration of transmission will be massive if no centralized isolation is prepared in the kelurahan or at least in the sub-district," Jokowi continued.

Meanwhile, the discipline of health procedures is also required to be regulated in detail regarding the implementation in markets, malls, factories and places of worship.

“Third, plan and prepare regional hospitals, including reserve hospitals and emergency hospitals. There must be anticipation in advance, at least there is planning. What if the hospital is full, don't let it be full, then it will be too late," he said.

"I ask the hospital to check properly, to control the field. Check the medicine is ready or not for how many days, how many weeks, how many months, control and check oxygen is ready or not (availability). Check the BOR capacity, because there is still a lot of hospital capacity that can be increased for COVID (handling)," Jokowi continued.

Jokowi said that in a number of areas, hospitals still set a figure of 20-30 percent of beds for COVID-19 patients from the total capacity.

"This can be increased by 40 (percent) or as in DKI 50 (percent), which is allocated to COVID (patients). This regional head must know what capacity, given how much COVID," said Jokowi.