The Defense Ministry has deployed mobile labs for 17 Army hospitals nationwide. The labs for the remaining three hospitals are to be delivered at a future date. 

“We need to make the best use of these mobile labs in order to help COVID-19 patients with proper treatments, especially the ones in the Army hospitals,” Andika, the deputy head of the government’s COVID-19 handling and national economic committee, said in a statement on Tuesday as quoted by antaranews.com. 

Apart from the mobile labs, the Defense Ministry has also built makeshift facilities using containers to treat COVID-19 patients.

The Army chief of staff’s logistics assistant, Maj. Gen. Jani Iswanto, said the hospitals that had received the containers were Bandar Lampung Hospital, Bratanata Jambi Hospital, Kencana Serang Hospital, Soetarto Yogyakarta Hospital, Wijaya Kusuma Purwokerto Hospital, Baladhika Husada Hospital, Udayana Denpasar Hospital and Moh. Ridwan Hospital.

He said that the containers that had arrived at the hospitals were still being installed, while the remaining containers were in delivery.

In the meantime, the government has increased the deployment of police and military personnel to improve compliance with health protocols as the nation struggles to control the rising number of COVID-19 cases and deaths. 

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan previously said the Indonesian Military and the National Police were joining forces to "get people to wear masks and maintain their distance", saying that higher compliance with health protocols would curb virus transmission. 

Luhut is one of several officials whom President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo asked to lead the charge in bringing down infections. 

A plan to lower infections in nine of the country’s hardest-hit provinces was announced by the President after Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan reimposed large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in the capital city on Sept. 14. 

Others tasked with reducing infections include Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto and National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Doni Monardo, who, like Luhut, are active or retired military personnel. 

"Each military command is tasked with [providing] guidance to neighborhood units using assertive messages and health protocols,” Luhut said during a teleconference in September. 

The military’s expanded role in the government’s COVID-19 response began in August when the President issued Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 6/2020, ordering the military to provide support to local leaders by monitoring public compliance with health protocols along with the police. (nkn)

 

Editor’s note: This article is part of a public campaign by the COVID-19 task force to raise people’s awareness about the pandemic.