TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
West Java gives out masks for patients, protective equipment for medical personnel
“We will be selective in giving out the masks as they are limited in number. First, we’re giving them out to sick people and medical personnel,” West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said.
Change Size
West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (second right) monitors information related to the spread of COVID-19 at a command center in Bandung, West Java, on March 10. (JP/Arya Dipa)
T
he West Java Health Agency started distributing a million masks for the province's residents and more than 1,000 units of personal protective equipment for medical personnel on Monday.
The masks are being distributed through community health centers (Puskesmas) in areas that are highly affected by COVID-19 such as Bogor, Depok, Bekasi and Bandung.
“We will be selective in giving out the masks as they are limited in number. First, we’re giving them out to sick people and medical personnel,” West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said on Saturday, adding that low-income residents would also be prioritized for mask distribution.
Ridwan asked Puskesmas in affected regions to submit an application for the equipment through West Java’s Pikobar, a mobile app for android smartphones that was designed to publish information and updates on COVID-19. The health agency sends the masks via postal service company PT Pos Indonesia.
Ridwan said Puskesmas were chosen as distribution points because they were easily accessible and allowed medical personnel to verify whether a person was really sick.
Besides distributing masks, the West Java administration also distributed on Monday personal protective equipment from the Jasa Sarana Group to eight hospitals including Dustira Hospital in Cimahi and Hasan Sadikin Hospital, HA Rotinsulu Pulmonary Hospital, Sartika Asih Hospital and M. Salamun Hospital in Bandung.
The protective equipment includes 900 disposable coveralls, 396 nurse caps, 390 boxes of latex gloves, 397 pairs of shoe covers, 300 dozen pairs of fabric gloves, 390 safety glasses and 108 medical coolers.
The administration will later distribute protective equipment to 26 other hospitals designated to handle COVID-19 patients in West Java.
HA Rotinsulu Hospital director Edi Sampurno expressed gratitude to the administration for having taken the initiative to give out equipment to medical personnel.
“Such aid is very important and exactly what we need. It lifts our spirits in handling COVID-19 cases,” he said.
As of Monday, West Java had reported 59 confirmed COVID-19 cases with five deaths and nine recoveries, according to Health Ministry data. (aly)
