COVID-19 update on donations, list of private hospitals that are taking COVID-19 patients, and include further information from the US Embassy
Mar 26, 2020 | AmCham Indonesia
Dear AmCham Members and Friends,
This is our latest COVID-19 update for members and friends and includes information on donations and a list of private hospitals that are taking COVID-19 patients. We also include further information from the US Embassy. As you probably know, the US State Department has recommended that all US citizens avoid travel and return home if they are abroad. We realize that it is not possible for many of our members and their loved ones to do this and we will continue to provide information as we receive it.
Urgentneed
We received information today that RS Fatmawati, the largest public hospital in Jakarta, is in urgent need of medical equipment. Gross shortages of protective gear (APD) even restrict entry by doctors to only three times per day to an isolation ward that only has COVID-19 patients. There is also a shortage of masks. RS Fatmawati uses 2,000 masks per day, and does not have enough supply, which is restricting patient care.
RS Fatmawati urgently welcomes private sector support and donations, especially of medical equipment (notably ventilators) and personal protective gear (APD). Any company wishing to support this critical hospital is urged to contact: Dr Loly, Medical Director, RS Fatmawati, on WA at 628119933309 or by email at [email protected]
There is also an effort by The Media Group, which controls Metro TV. They are collecting donations and focusing on three areas:
Distribution of APD (mask, hazmat suit) and hand sanitizer
Working with universities to provide nutritious meals to frontline health staff at 10 appointed hospitals
Joining Alissa Wahid in providing daily necessities for low-income communities, #salingjaga is the hashtag of this movement.
Ongoing
In our last update we also posted details for the new COVID-19 Response Center, an effort that was brought to our attention by JIS and which involves a range of initiatives to assist the government’s medical response to the pandemic. You can reach out via WhatsApp at: 6281380686868. You may also contact Tarek Razik, head of school, Jakarta Intercultural School, and member, AmCham Board of Governors, at 628118332101.
Private hospitals
In the initial stages of the epidemic in Indonesia, the government restricted private hospitals from being referral centers for testing and treatment. That appears to be changing. Three private hospitals have been appointed as referral hospitals for COVID-19. They are: Siloam Hospital Kelapa Dua (Tangerang), RS Mitra Keluarga Jatiasih (Bekasi), and RS Hermina Karawang.
AmCham office and events
The AmCham Office is on work from home status indefinitely. In addition, all AmCham Indonesia face-to-face meetings and events for the month of March have been postponed. We are beginning to have a number of meetings online using the Zoom platform. You will be notified of virtual meetings as they are scheduled.
Translations
Starting last week, AmCham has been making and sending out English translations of relevant documents from the office of the Jakarta governor. All members and other stakeholders have been receiving these. We are expanding the effort to include the office of the president. We think it is vital that we help the broader community, including those outside Indonesia, to understand what the government is doing.
Stay well
As a service to members, we urge you to send us press releases and other information that we can pass on to the broader AmCham community. If you have items of interest, please email material to: astari.sutjiningtyas@amcham.or.id. Follow this link to information provided by the US Embassy.
Stay safe, call a doctor if you have symptoms of high fever, a cough or difficulty breathing. The process of getting tested in Indonesia must begin by consulting a local doctor.
