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We have worked as hard as we can: Erick apologizes for govt's COVID-19 handling
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State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir inspects the Phase 3 clinical trial for the Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine at PT Bio Farma in Bandung, West Java, on Aug. 4. (Courtesy/National Economic and COVID-19 Recovery Committee)
T
he executive director of the government’s COVID-19 Response and Economic Recovery Committee, Erick Thohir, has apologized on behalf of the government for the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic that has struck many sectors and impacted the lives of people across the country.
Erick, who is also the state-owned enterprises minister, said the government had pulled all efforts to protect the public, including doctors and medical workers.
“We, the government, have tried our best and worked hard with all of our shortcomings, and we apologize if it is not perfect,” Erick said in a virtual meeting with the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) to pray for the fallen medical workers over COVID-19 on Wednesday evening.
Read also: ‘Chaotic’: Epidemiologists concerned about healthcare crisis after recent surge in COVID-19 cases
Erick also urged members of the public to help the government, citing that mutual cooperation between the public and the authorities was vital in handling the coronavirus-induced health crisis.
Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy echoed Erick’s statement, saying the government had done its best to protect medical workers at the front line in the fight against the pandemic, citing the provision of protective gears as part of the support.
“We have worked hard to give support to the medical workers, so that they can perform their duties well, and especially for them to be safe from the COVID-19 threat,” he said.
The IDI reported last week that at least 100 doctors in Indonesia had died from COVID-19 as cases and deaths continued to rise. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has expressed his condolences on Wednesday, thanking the fallen health workers for their “hard work, unwavering dedication and professionalism”.
