University of Lampung (Unila) Hospital is preparing isolation facilities to help treat COVID-19 patients in the province.

In the initial phase, the hospital is set to accommodate up to 50 asymptomatic patients and those with mild symptoms. However, if needed, the hospital is also ready to prepare more rooms for isolation in the future.

According to kompas.id, the hospital was furnishing the facility with beds, amenities and water supply.

Asep Sukohar, the university’s deputy rector overseeing general administration and finance, said that the university fully supported the local administration’s efforts to tackle the coronavirus.

He went on to say that the decision to utilize the university’s hospital as the additional isolation facility in the province was delivered directly by Bandar Lampung administration secretary Badri Tamam. The city administration had also visited the intended building and prepared all the necessities.

“All patients’ needs will be covered by the Bandar Lampung administration. Currently, we’re furnishing the facility, including bringing in the beds,” he added.

The university hospital has three buildings that are available to be used as isolation facilities.

The first building, which has four floors, was expected to be ready to accommodate the 50 patients starting next week, said Asep. The hospital has also committed to prepare the remaining two buildings should the city see higher numbers of cases, he added.

The newly constructed hospital has yet to be opened to the public due to its lack of supporting facilities, including ventilators and other medical equipment, and is only possible to be immediately used as an isolation facility for COVID-19 patients with no and mild symptoms.

Asep further said the Bandar Lampung administration would soon provide the hospital with healthcare professionals and security officers. In addition, the local authorities have also requested the University of Lampung’s School of Medicine to deploy medical workers to the hospital.

In 2016, the university received financial support worth Rp 74 billion (US$5.24 million) to construct the medical school.

Previously, Bandar Lampung COVID-19 task force coordinated with various parties in the city in an effort to add isolation facilities.

Apart from the university hospital, the local administration has several isolation facilities, including a former athletes village and the Sumergo guesthouse.

Lampung has a total of 12 referral hospitals for COVID-19 cases. Most of them, which are located in the provincial capital Bandar Lampung, are starting to fill up.

Meanwhile in a previous report, Bandar Lampung faced a shortage of hospital beds to treat COVID-19 patients as the city has seen a rapid rise in confirmed cases.

As of last Wednesday, Bandar Lampung had recorded 1,200 cases, which account for 49.07 percent of the province’s cumulative 2,445 cases. Bandar Lampung has been designated as a red zone, or an area with a high risk of COVID-19 contagion.

This has seen occupancy at Bandar Lampung’s 10 COVID-19 referral hospitals rise, with seven of them close to being full. Only eight of 194 beds are available at these seven hospitals combined. (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.