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Life and death situation: Kidney failure patients' woes deepen amid pandemic
The pandemic already causes enough problems for those living with kidney failure, but things get even worse when they contract the virus as it is near-impossible to find a hospital that accepts hemodialysis patients with COVID-19
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Challenging: It is near-impossible to find a hospital that accepts hemodialysis patients with COVID-19. (Unsplash/Marcelo Leal) (Unsplash/Marcelo Leal)
I
t has been two years since the virus first emerged. According to the government's official COVID-19 website, covid19.go.id, over four million infections had been recorded in Indonesia as of Sept. 15, with over 139,000 deaths.
The risk of severe complications from catching the virus is higher in individuals aged 60 and older or those with comorbidities, which is why such people are strongly recommended to stay at home to reduce their risk of contracting the virus. However, patients with kidney failure must continue their hemodialysis visits twice weekly at the hospital, placing them at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19.
Aang Munawar, a Tangerang resident, has been suffering from kidney failure for the past seven years. Unfortunately for him, he contracted the virus in July. "[Back then], all patients must undergo a swab test before they undergo hemodialysis [treatment]. Halfway through dialysis, the result came out, and I was declared COVID-19 positive," he said.
The 47-year-old carried out his treatment at a hospital in Karawaci, just outside Jakarta. At the time, the hospital was not equipped with hemodialysis facilities for COVID-19 patients, so he had to transfer to another hospital.
"It was so hard to find a hospital with [a hemodialysis facility for COVID-19 patients], some of my friends died because they couldn't access one. But luck was on my side — Dr. Ayu, who was one of the doctors on duty at the time, helped me find a hospital that could accept me."
After having a tough time locating a hospital, the online taxi driver found a spot at Ciputra Hospital for hemodialysis. Since the facility was at high capacity, he spent two weeks traveling back and forth between his house and the hospital.
