Due To Running Out Of Oxygen, Indonesia Is Seeking More COVID-19 Patients

JAKARTA, Indonesia — As the number of severely ill people in Indonesia grows, parts of the country are running out of oxygen. After scores of sick individuals died at a public hospital that ran out of its central supply of COVID-19, the nation’s pandemic response chief warned Monday that the number of COVID-19 patients in need is increasing.

“The distribution has been impeded due to an increase of three to four times the amount (of oxygen) required,” said Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the coordinating marine affairs, and investment minister.

Pandjaitan stated during the virtual press conference that the government is urging oxygen manufacturers to devote their whole supply to medical requirements and that if necessary, it will import it.

On June 26, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikit stated that the government has assured oxygen supply for COVID-19 patients.

At the very least, 63 COVID- Since Saturday, 19 patients have died while receiving treatment at Dr. Sardjito General Hospital in Yogyakarta, with 33 of them dying during the hospital’s central liquid oxygen supply outage, despite the fact that the hospital switched to using oxygen cylinders during that time, according to hospital spokesman Banu Hermawan.

“Their worsening health had the biggest role in their deaths,” Hermawan added.

After 15 tonnes of liquid oxygen were supplied, the hospital’s central oxygen supply was restored around 4:45 a.m. Sunday. Medical oxygen is available in two forms: liquid and compressed.

Because of the rising number of COVID-19 patients in the province, Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X stated that hospitals required more oxygen than previously.

“We require more oxygen. But that doesn’t rule out the possibility of a supply,” he added.

In the previous two weeks, COVID-19 instances have risen dramatically in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most populated country. On Sunday, the Health Ministry reported 27,233 new cases of the virus, including 555 fatalities. More than 2,284,000 cases have been reported in the country, with 60,582 fatalities.

According to Pandjaitan, the incubation period indicates that the number of persons affected would continue to rise until mid-July.

“If we are not disciplined, it will rise again in the future,” he added.