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Indonesian SOE Ministry searches for volunteers to assist with coronavirus handling
The ministry is particularly looking for citizens under 36 years old who are healthy and ready to commit to handling "the national calamity".
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A medical officer checks an isolation room to treat COVID-19 patients in Kraton Regional General Hospital in Pekalongan, Central Java, on Feb. 5, 2020. (Antara/Harviyan Perdana Putr)
T
he Indonesian State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry is looking for people with a medical background and members of the general public to serve as volunteers to help the government in mitigating the impacts of COVID-19.
"Be a part of COVID-19 mitigation efforts in the country," the ministry said in its online poster circulating on Thursday.
The ministry is particularly looking for citizens under 36 years old who are healthy and ready to commit to handling "the national calamity".
Registered volunteers will be trained by the Indonesia Healthcare Corporation before carrying out their duties. In addition to that, they will also be equipped with protective gear and be given health insurance while volunteering.
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They will be assigned to handle logistical and operational affairs in preparing alternative facilities for COVID-19 patients should the existing referral hospitals no longer accommodate the influx of patients.
"Each of the volunteers is going to get a certificate of merit from the government by the end of the mission," the ministry said.
The SOE Ministry published a link to an online form for those who are interested in registering. As of 6 p.m. on Thursday, however, the form no longer accepted responses.
Based on the Health Ministry's data, Indonesia has reported new coronavirus cases every day since the country confirmed its first two cases earlier this month.
The government announced 82 new cases on Thursday, bringing the total number of infected people to 309. The disease has claimed at least 25 lives in the country so far.
Read also: Indonesia records spike in COVID-19 deaths after days of central govt data confusion
Indonesia is scrambling to contain the deadly disease as most hospitals appear to be not ready. A source who requested anonymity told The Jakarta Post last week that out of 132 hospitals designated as referral facilities "only 49 hospitals are really ready" for COVID-19, while the other 83 were in the "preparation stage".
The SOE Ministry has planned to transform the Patra Comfort Hotel in Central Jakarta, which is owned by state-owned energy company Pertamina, into an isolation ward for suspected COVID-19 patients amid the hospital backlog.
It is also preparing two apartment towers in Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, to isolate coronavirus patients.
