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JAKARTA – At least 451 Covid-19 patients in Indonesia have died in self-isolation, a civil coalition that provides a platform for citizens reported yesterday.
Ahmad Arif, founder of the Lapor Covid-19 coalition, told a press conference that the fatalities were recorded in 12 provinces, 160 of which were in West Java.
The group collected data from citizen complaints, conversations on social media and local news outlets, reported the Anadolu news agency.
Arif noted that the number of patients who died outside health facilities was much higher than recorded data, saying “this is only the tip of the iceberg, since not everything is reported”.
Data from the Centre for Indonesia’s Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI) shows that 446 Covid-19 patients in West Java died while undergoing self-isolation from June 30 to July 6.
Also speaking at the press conference, Diah Saminarsih was CISDI founder and senior adviser on Gender and Youth for the director-general of the World Health Organisation (WHO), said the data was collected directly by health workers at 100 facilities in the West Java region.
Saminarsih said the majority of the fatalities in self-isolation occurred due to a sudden drop in oxygen saturation, which often occurs in elderly patients with comorbidities, such as hypertension and diabetes.
“They also have difficulty getting treatment because health facilities continue to be full amid the crisis due to the current surge in Covid-19 cases,” she said.
Saminarsih said public health centres in villages have no capacity to provide emergency assistance due to the limited number of staff and insufficient medical equipment, such as oxygen concentrators.
“This is heartbreaking. Imagine someone who is out of breath unable to access health facilities and can’t be helped and finally dies,” she said.
Lapor Covid-19 said some critical patients have tried to go to hospitals but were refused due to full occupancy.
Arif said some patients in rural areas also refuse to go to hospitals as they are afraid of testing positive for the coronavirus.
“Not all of them are too late to go to the hospital, but there are also those who don’t want to go, as they are afraid of being diagnosed with Covid-19. This is related to public perception,” he said. – Bernama, July 13, 2021