Papua Province Implements Mobile Doctors Regarding Lack of Covid-19 Medical Personnel

Papua Province Implements Mobile Doctors Regarding Lack of Covid-19 Medical Personnel

Starting next week, the Covid-19 Task Force in Papua Province will implement mobile doctors to treat 1,239 Patients in Oversight and positive corona patients in Papua.

The mobile team of doctors will continue to move to be assisted in every hospital that lacks medical staff to treat patients related to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Papua Covid-19 Task Force Spokesperson, Dr. Silwanus Sumule SpOG (K) said the policy was taken because of the limited number of doctors in Papua.

He stated the number of corona-positive patients being treated plus the Patients under Supervision (PDP) who were also treated had reached 1,239 people.

"In all of Papua there are only seven lung specialist doctors. So the doctor moves. For example, in Jayapura there are three people, Dr. Theopilus Obet Lay, Dr. Helena Pakiding, and Dr. Victor Manuhutu. The three of them will move to Keerom, Jayapura Regency and around the hospital in Jayapura City, "Sumule said in Jayapura on Thursday (5/21/2020).

Sumule said 70 percent of the patients treated were actually experiencing mild illness. Nonetheless, the Provincial Government of Papua established a policy that all patients related to Covid-19 remain hospitalized.

That policy is what keeps the death rate due to Covid-19 in Papua still low, which is 10 cases or 2 percent of the total corona positive cases. With that policy Papua also recorded a high patient recovery rate, reaching 134 cases or 25 percent of the total corona positive cases.

"However, on the other side the hospital is getting overwhelmed. There is a choice of independent isolation, this can be done, but it requires extraordinary effort. So we decided that all of our patients would be treated, "he explained.