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‘Like a war zone’: Doctors, hospitals plead for help amid COVID-19 upsurge
Indonesia reported record-breaking new infections and deaths in the past week, with many hospitals in Java becoming overwhelmed with patients and running out of oxygen.
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Medical workers treat a patient inside an emergency tent at Dr. Sardjito General Hospital in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on July 4. (Antara/Hendra Nurdiyansyah)
H
ealth workers and hospitals have likened their daily struggle against COVID-19 to a “war zone”, urging the government to step in and provide financial support to frontliners who must face the alarming surge of infections across Java.
Indonesia reported record-breaking new infections and deaths in the past week, with many hospitals in Java becoming overwhelmed with patients and running out of oxygen. On Tuesday, the country broke its previous daily record of 29,745 new infections and 558 deaths on Monday with 31,189 new infections and 728 deaths.
Meanwhile, hospitals have yet to receive payments for COVID-19 treatment from the government, according to the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), which demanded that the government immediately pay hospital claims in full and simplify bureaucracy.
IDI deputy chairman Slamet Budiarto emphasized that people were dying from untreated COVID-19 emergencies because hospitals lack funds.
“It is like a war zone, but [the government] treats it as business as usual. COVID-19 claims worth trillions [of rupiah] have yet to be paid,” Slamet told the House of Representatives Commission IX, which oversees health, in a meeting on Monday.
The meeting was attended by the Indonesian Hospital Association (PERSI) and Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
Read also: Darkest days ahead: Deaths surge in Indonesia as health facilities collapse
