Wisma Atlet Ready to be Used as Emergency Hospital

KOMPAS/PRIYOMBODO

Aerial photo of Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Thursday (19/3/2020). The government plans to use the Wisma Atlet as an alternative quarantine place for Covid-19 patients. Related to this plan, the security of the area began to be increased. A number of preparations have also begun, such as inspection of the building and cleaning of the environment around the building by cleaning staff.

KOMPAS — Four of the 10 towers at the Wisma Atlet apartment complex in Kemayoran, Central Jakara, are expected to be ready to be used as an emergency hospital to treat COVID-19 patients on Monday (3/23/2020). As many as 2,836 rooms in the apartment complex, which was used as athlete villages in the 2018 Asian Games, are being prepared to accommodate patients, doctors, officers and the command post of the task force for the acceleration of COVID-19 handling.

In addition to the Wisma Atlet, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said, the government was also setting up a special hospital on Galang Island, Riau Islands. "All medical equipment installations have been prepared (at Wisma Atlet). Tomorrow (Monday,) it will start operating,"Basuki said at the Wisma Atlet on Sunday afternoon (3/22).

As of Sunday night, workers and volunteers were making some repairs and adjustments in the Wisma Atlet towers. One of them is the seventh tower, which will be used for emergency rooms, intensive care units (ICU), laboratories, pharmacy, radiology and treatment rooms with a total of 886 rooms that can accommodate 2,458 patients.

The sixth tower is also being prepared for treatment rooms with a capacity of 650 rooms that can accommodate 1,750 patients. The first tower is being prepared for doctors and officers, while the third tower for common posts. Each tower has 650 rooms that can accommodate 1,750 people.

Kompas/Heru Sri Kumoro

Officers wear masks at the 19th Covid Handling Emergency Hospital at Kemayoran Athletes, Jakarta, on Monday (23/3//2020). President Joko Widodo, who has inspected this place, ensures that the emergency hospital is ready to be used for quarantine and care for Covid-19 patients.

Workers are still completing repairs of some of the rooms, painting and fixing electrical installations and medical equipment. Patient mattresses have been available. Similarly, drugs have been placed in separate rooms.In other towers, workers were fixing chairs in the waiting rooms. Other workers were installing iron fences, lamps and repairing the water supply system. Rahmat ,30, one of the workers, said the works had been accelerated so the hospital could be ready Monday.

In addition to Basuki, State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir, Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, the military commander Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, and head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Doni Monardo were also present during the inspection at the Wisma Atlet.

Patients will also have the same facilities.

Hadi said that as many as 2,500 beds were available to handle patients. Medical personnel will be arranged to take turns and there will be also relaxation rooms for them. Patients will also have the same facilities.

According to Terawan, the Wisma Atlet will be used as an emergency hospital for COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms. It is expected that Wisma Atlet can reduce the burden on other referral hospitals that handle patients with severe conditions.

Regarding needs for health equipment, medicine, personal protective equipment (PPE) and masks, Erick said, it was the responsibility of the SOEs. Additional masks and PPE procurement would be obtained from imports and local producers.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A woman washes her hands at a public sink provided at the “Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Sehat Hari Ini” (We will tell stories later about health today) exhibition on Thursday (19/3/2020) at the Sonobudoyo Museum in Yogyakarta. The exhibition featured archival items from the museum collection that were used to combat a past plague, and also displayed records on the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak.

Doni Monardo said the priority of the government at present was to optimize all resources at central and regional governments for the handling of COVID-19 to meet the surge in number of people infected with the new coronavirus that causes COVID-19. (AGE/KRN /TAN /DAN/JUD)