Support Health Workers By Following Health Protocols, Minister Tells Public

Image source: Instagram of Ministry of Health

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin has once again urged the public to follow health protocols to support health workers and to prevent COVID-19 transmission

“The Government is taking measures to overcome the downstream impact (of the pandemic). We have to slowly shift the measures to overcome the upstream causes,” the Minister said in a press conference after the Limited Cabinet Meeting on Monday (11/01) at the Presidential Office, Jakarta.

According to Budi, the efforts for overcoming the upstream causes are needed to prevent the large number of people exposed to COVID-19, as well as to reduce the burden on hospitals and health workers.

“We have to help them by following health protocols. I am asking all of you to follow health protocols: wear a face mask, keep a safe distance, wash your hands, and avoid crowds,” the Minister said.

Budi added that the number of health workers who died during the pandemic had reached more than 500 people.

“Let us respect the health workers who have passed away. They have fought this pandemic and I hope we can overcome the pandemic together,” the Minister said.

On that occasion, the Minister also urged the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but have no symptoms to conduct self-quarantine process, adding that he will also ask regional governments to prepare self-quarantine facilities for COVID-19 patients.

Ministry of Health, he added, will also improve the mechanism to monitor patients in self-quarantine process.

“(The patients) will be monitored by doctors, either by telephone or telemedicine. It aims to reduce the burden of the hospitals which are expected to treat symptomatic patients,” Budi said. (FID/UN) (RI/UN)