Frontline workers managing the Covid-19 epidemic are at risk, not just of contracting the disease, but also of violence and other threats from some people who are forcibly seizing the bodies of relatives
By
Fransiskus Pati Herin
·6 minutes read
ARSIP PRIBADI
JJomima Orno (38), co-19 patient nurse at the Haulussy Ambon General Hospital, who was beaten.
Frontline workers managing the Covid-19 epidemic are at risk, not just of contracting the disease, but also of violence and other threats from some people who are forcibly seizing the bodies of relatives who have died of Covid-19. These acts are an affront to their humanitarian efforts.
An ill omen of things to come greeted Edy Maunusu, 42, as he turned on the ambulance engine at Dr. Haulussy Regional General Hospital (RSUD) on Friday (26/6/2020) in Ambon. The ambulance was carrying the body of HK, 58, who had died of Covid-19, and was about to be attacked by members of his family intent on taking his body. Anxious, Edy started driving to the special burial site for Covid-19 patients in Hunuth, some 16 kilometers from the hospital.
As he drove through Batu Merah village on Jl. Jend. Sudirman, he saw that hundreds of people had filled the road. They shouted and pointed at the ambulance. Edy recognized some faces from a group that had gathered at Haulussy hospital about an hour before to try and take HK’s body. They rushed into the mortuary in improvised PPE and assaulted Jomima Orno, 38, a nurse who was transporting the body from the isolation ward to the mortuary.
"I was beaten about my face and body many times by HK\'s relatives," said Jomima, who has been left traumatized by the incident. His clothes were torn during the incident.
After discussing the situation, the family’s representatives agreed for HK’s body to be buried under the Covid-19 protocol.
The relatives who refused to accept HK’s death had reacted violently. They did not believe that HK had died from Covid-19 and wanted to take his body home and bury it themselves. The local Covid-19 task force arrived, accompanied by security personnel. After discussing the situation, the family’s representatives agreed for HK’s body to be buried under the Covid-19 protocol. Even so, many relatives still raised objections.
The crowd on the street convinced Edy that something bad was going to happen. It turned out that the family’s agreement at the hospital was just a ploy. Unable to claim the body at the hospital, they decided to try and intercept the ambulance carrying it on the road.
Seeing the crowd, Edy took a deep breath. He could not make a U-turn or take another road, so he continued to drive forward. On seeing that the ambulance had slowed down, the crowd of people stormed the vehicle. Some broke open the rear doors while others pulled open the driver’s door and asked Edy to get down and open the rear doors.
"Someone almost punched me. I just did this, while apologizing,” said Edy, showing how he had clasped his hands together at his chest. “I apologized repeatedly," he said.
The father of three paused occasionally as he cried while recounting the incident. "Katong [we] work with our whole heart," he said.
Edy and Jomima are not the only ones to have such an experience, and other frontline workers
have met with similar violent incidents. Dr. Candra, who coordinates the Covid-19 contact tracing team at the Ambon Health Agency, experienced many bitter encounters as he and his team walked down the narrow alleys of densely populated settlements. They are aware that they risk not only infection, but also physical assault.
Residents repeatedly confronted them while they ran rapid testing programs. The rejections were often followed by harsh words, curses and even death threats. "Some of the people [were armed with] machetes to kill us. The team decided to retreat. This has happened [to us] not just on one occasion," he said.
Rumors
The head of the Waehaong puskesmas (community health center), Dr. Augie Joltuwu, has also had similar experiences. Residents of the Silale compound greeted her and her team with a community protest when they arrived to perform a rapid test on three residents who had been in close contact with a COVID-19 patient. Before their arrival, the area had been abuzz with rumors that all residents would have to take a rapid test. The community gather together to demonstrate and to expel the team.
After the situation had colled, Augie, who was eight months pregnant at the time, again approached the three residents with her team to try and persuade them to get the tests.
Tracing and testing are the only ways to stop the spread of Covid-19 in the city of Ambon, which has the highest number of confirmed cases in Maluku province. As of Monday (29/6), 514 of the 728 cases in Maluku were recorded in Ambon.
The team’s efforts were successful, and the three residents agreed to take the tests. All three tested positive for Covid-19.
"Even though I was pregnant, I still went to work because it is my responsibility and my conscience as a health worker. I was very hurt when I heard the rumor that we were doing [the tests] for money. Our lives and the lives of our families are priceless compared to money," she said.
The rumor snowballed to undermine public trust in the government and fomented local resistance and unrest.
Indeed, a rumor had been circulating among the people of Maluku that certain parties were exploiting the Covid-19 epidemic to turn a profit. This was then linked to a number of mismanaged cases. The rumor snowballed to undermine public trust in the government and fomented local resistance and unrest.
Forcibly seizing the body of patients who had died of Covid-19 as well as public protests against mass testing for Covid-19 have also occurred in other areas, including Makassar, South Sulawesi. People who resorted to violence in claiming the body of Covid-19 patients have been named as suspects. Later test results showed that some of these people had contracted Covid-19.
Maluku Covid-19 task force head Kasrul Selang acknowledged that he had not found the “right formula” for managing the health crisis. He had tried many measures and approaches, and continued to refine them. He also acknowledged that public trust had eroded. "People can be critical, but they must not think from a negative standpoint, let alone commit violence," he said.
To prevent further violence targeting frontline workers, hospitals and quarantine wards tightened their security and safety measures. Health workers conducting rapid tests in the field are now protected by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri). A security detachment will also escort vehicles and workers transporting bodies from hospitals to the cemetery.
Social observer Josep Antonius Ufi of Ambon’s Pattimura University believed that the task force must provide explanations and respond to the growing number of questions among the public, including on budgetary transparency, to restore public trust. This would help the public feel more certain. "There is still hope in this," he said.
Effective solutions are needed to address these issues, from the erosion of public trust in Maluku to the violence targeting members of the Covid-19 task force on the extreme end of the spectrum. No other frontline workers who are risking their lives in the field should be exposed to reproach, curses, assault or death threats. If this situation continues unabated, it will only add to the already difficult management of Covid-19.
