D

engue fever season is back, with patients thronging Jakarta hospitals.

In Central Jakarta, the 300-bed-capacity city-owned Tarakan Hospital worked at full stretch to treat 68 dengue patients over the weekend.

"We're running out of nurses, and all of our economy-class beds are occupied. Some patients have to use portable beds," head nurse Zuraidah told The Jakarta Post.

The hospital has recorded 654 dengue cases between January and March, seven of them fatal.

The city-owned Pasar Rebo Hospital in East Jakarta recorded 551 dengue cases in the same period.

Tarakan Hospital receives 15 to 20 new dengue patients daily, Zuraidah said, adding it had prepared 70 portable beds, 16 of them now in use.

The hospital's 260 nurses are barely enough, she said, since they do not work at the same time.

"Last month we asked for 10 extra nurses from the city health agency, but there's been no response yet."

Zuraidah said the hospital had been overwhelmed since January.

"In February, dengue cases began declining due to the rains, but they soared again four weeks ago," she said, adding the rains helped kill dengue-carrying mosquitoes.

"We're on alert, though, because last year, the peak of the dengue cases was in April," she said.

Despite the torrent of cases, Zuraidah pledged the best service for all patients.

"Our thrombosis and infusion stocks are sufficient, as are our portable beds," she said.

But not all patients agreed.

Agung, a 9-year-old dengue patient, was kept waiting for four hours in the emergency room.

"My husband has been looking for a room for about an hour, with no result," said his mother, Tusiah.

Sandra Dewi, the mother of another patient, had a similar story.

"*The hospital officials* said my son would be sent to a room immediately, but when?" she said.

Novi, a nurse, explained that administrative requirements for both patients had not been completed.

All economy rooms on the sixth floor were crowded, with two or three portable beds being added to each room's six beds.

Under a city administration policy, economy-class dengue patients are exempt from room and medication charges.

At Budhi Asih Hospital in East Jakarta, one of 17 city-owned hospitals, the number of dengue patients has risen to 340 this month, up from 320 last month, while in January it was 228.

"We have the highest daily number of patients this week, with 95 people being treated," said medical service head Hamonangan Sirait.

The hospital treated 89 dengue patients Friday, while the daily intake of new patients is 20 people.

Cengkareng Hospital in West Jakarta treated 32 patients Friday.

"There's no lack of health workers or medicine. As a city-owned hospital, we can just ask for extra workers or medicine," he said, adding the hospital had some 60 doctors, 48 of them dealing with dengue fever.

He called the past few months an "extraordinary situation".

But Jakarta Health Agency head Dien Emawati said the city's dengue profile was still considered normal.

"We don't need to declare an emergency status yet," she said.