
ACTNews, JAKARTA - "I am afraid I cannot
answer, I am exhausted," said Dr. Fariz Nurwidya on Tuesday (3/17),
reported by CNBC Indonesia. Dr. Fariz has been resting for several days because
after busy treating the COVID-19 patients.
Medical workers are now in the
spotlight. They dedicate themselves to treating the COVID-19 patients whose
number continues to grow daily. Dr. Handoko Gunawan was one of the doctors who
dedicated himself to treat the patients. The dedication of this 80-year-old
doctor went viral as he continued treating the COVID-19 patients at Graha
Hospital, Kedoya, West Jakarta despite his old age.
Dr. Handoko finally fell ill and is
hospitalized. Reported from detik.com, Doctor Handoko's condition has now
gradually improved. People are encouraged to appreciate the hard work of Dr.
Handoko Gunawan by not taking COVID-19 lightly.
"Don't waste the sacrifice of Dr.
Handoko Gunawan," said Dyah Agustina Waluyo as Secretary of the COVID-19
Task Force for the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) on Wednesday (3/18).
Dyah invited the public to seriously follow the government's advice in
maintaining social distance and not to get out as much as possible. "If
people take it lightly, no matter how many hospitals, doctors, and nurses are
prepared, it will not be enough," she continued.
Dyah also requested that medical workers currently on duty be protected. At this dire time, the amount of equipment and tools needed to treat the patients becomes very limited.
ACT volunteers spraying disinfectant in one of the mosques in Mataram,
Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara on Thursday (19/3). (ACTNews)
"He is a great doctor. Actually, all
doctors and health workers are now as great as he is. We ask that these medical
workers be protected. We are aware of the responsibilities of our profession.
Please prioritize the safety and security of their work. Personal protective
equipment (PPE) is thinning. Even masks are difficult to find. It is needed by
all health facilities," said Dyah.
The same thing was expressed by Doctor
Fariz. To CNBC Indonesia, he asked the public to spread the information about
the conditions experienced by medical workers in the fight against this disease.
"Please tell all your colleagues,
these medical workers need prayer and support. All are exhausted and began to
be laid off one by one," he said. This extraordinary exhaustion is caused
by the lack of available resources, both in terms of workers, facilities, and
tools for the treatment of patients. "We lack personnel, ventilators, and
PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)," said Fariz.
Because of the PPE scarcity, these doctors
even lacked masks to protect them. Despite their frequent contact with the
patients, they lack proper protection for themselves
Aksi Cepat Tanggap (ACT) continues to
support medical workers who are at the forefront in fighting the COVID-19
pandemic. Dr. Muhammad Riedha Bambang, ACT’s Corona Crisis Center Coordinator,
expressed his support for launching of ACT’s humanitarian vehicles this
Thursday (3/19).
"We will not forget our colleagues
who work in every hospital: doctors, nurses and so on that we will continue to
keep you together. We will continue to support, and don't panic at the
community. We will make peace until the end of this pandemic, "said
Riedha.
ACT will assist the medical workers by
preparing the PPE equipment they need. "We will procure masks, wearpack gowns,
and googles to be donated to health workers in hospitals. We also plan to
provide Humanity Food Trucks to hospitals as a form of support for medical
workers and the patients' families," said Doctor Riedha.
Assistance will also be given to other
elements of the society. In addition to continuing to distribute masks,
spraying disinfectants in public spaces and educating the public about the
prevention of COVID-19, ACT will prepare 1,000 tons of food and distribute them
to various affected areas through volunteers and humanitarian vehicles. This
assistance comes through ACT programs such as the Waqf Food Barn, Waqf Rice
Barn and Waqf Water Barns.
Until Wednesday (3/18), there were 227 COVID-19
cases in Indonesia. The number of deaths reached 19, exceeding the number who
recovered at 11 people. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Case
Fatality Rate (CFR) of the COVID-19 in Indonesia is currently the highest. The
figure is even twice as high as the world’s average CFR, which is 8.37% from
an average of 4.07%. []