Jakarta doctors warn of buckling health system

Jakarta

DOCTORS in Indonesia's capital warned on Thursday that the novel coronavirus pandemic is "not under control", with Jakarta's intensive care units (ICUs) nearing full capacity. The warning comes amid plans to re-impose a partial lockdown as early as next Monday over fears that surging number of cases could "collapse" its strained hospitals, the sprawling city's governor said.

Indonesia posted a record high 3,861 positive cases on Thursday, while the capital has recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases on average each day this month, placing considerable strain on hospitals in the world's fourth most populous nation.

The occupancy rate of isolation rooms at 67 coronavirus referral hospitals is currently at 77 per cent, while the ICU occupancy is 83 per cent, said the Jakarta administration.

"It is like we have been running a marathon since March, we are exhausted," said Erlina Burhan, a pulmonologist from Persahabatan Hospital, "This is not to be underestimated. The situation is not under control." The number of patients being treated for suspected cases of Covid-19 tripled from July to August at Persahabatan, Jakarta's main referral hospital.

"The government should anticipate the rise in cases by adding more medical facilities in hospitals ... but the needs of the medical workers need to be anticipated as well," said Halik Malik, spokesman for Indonesia's medical association. He acknowledged that pressure on the health system was high.

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"Doctors are forced to work overtime, fatigued amidst the low protection," he added.

Fears that the city's healthcare system may be soon pushed to the brink saw Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan on Wednesday re-impose lockdown measures starting Sept 14, with residents told to work, study and pray at home.

"Right now, this is an emergency - more pressing than the start of the pandemic," he said.

Without tighter social restrictions, hospitals may be forced to turn coronavirus patients away by as early as next week, data from the Jakarta government showed.

Indonesia has recorded more than 203,000 cases of the coronavirus and 8,336 deaths - the highest Covid-19 death toll in East Asia. REUTERS