T

he struggle against COVID-19 in Indonesia, as in many other countries, is exposing big holes in health infrastructure and human resource management. Unfortunately, any improvement is quite sluggish, while the virus is spreading day by day. Tangible measures are missing a sense of urgency.

The government has built a hospital that exclusively treats infectious diseases, including COVID-19, on Galang Island in Riau Islands province as a massive initial step. Though the preparation and construction only took a few weeks, that is still not in line with the speed of the virus spread.

On the other hand, the government has missed opportunities to support and utilize existing health assets as well as possible and as fast as possible; we are in dire need of healthcare facilities and equipment as well as medical personnel. Furthermore, health professionals are being infected by the virus; at least 19 physicians have passed away as of this writing. A major reason for this is the lack of protective equipment for medical personnel treating either patients infected with COVID-19 or patients who are carriers but may not have tested positive.

Prioritizing health infrastructure while lacking concern for medical personnel could exacerbate the crisis. Handling the pandemic is clearly the government’s obligation under the Constitution. Hence, the failure to fulfill the right to health can amount to a human rights violation, as indicated by the scarcity of protective equipment when compared to the large number of patients, not to mention the substandard quality of protective equipment doctors and nurses are forced to use.

The government needs to immediately improve on what have been sluggish steps and misguided priorities so far. Relying on social solidarity and public appeals besides hailing fallen health professionals as heroes is not enough, even while large-scale social restrictions are in place. Strengthening health services by affording medical personnel the protection they need to ensure citizens’ right to health must be the top priority.

This means the government should immediately distribute sufficient protective equipment throughout Indonesia, including in remote areas. The distribution should reach all hospitals and medical personnel, even those not directly handling COVID-19 cases. The government has allocated a budget for this purpose and must now monitor the distribution process.

If at all possible, elderly physicians should not be on the front line given their greater vulnerability to infection. Furthermore, strict requirements for medical personnel and volunteers are needed to ensure they adhere to standard operating procedures, including standards regarding their protective equipment. All of this requires determination on the part of the government to live up to its responsibility for citizens’ wellbeing and to save lives.