I praise the development of this app that has yet to be promoted further. We have the 'hospital without walls' telemedicine application.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has praised the development of the telemedicine application that he termed "hospital without walls" to support the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

"I laud the development of this app that has yet to be further promoted. We have the 'hospital without walls' telemedicine application," the president stated at the opening of a teleconference meeting to discuss the COVID-19 handling task force report from the Merdeka Palace here on Monday.

"This is what sets us apart from other countries. Not all people have to visit the doctor, hospital, or public health centers, but they can seek help through the telemedicine application," Jokowi pointed out.

Jokowi remarked that online medical consultation will also curb the risk of coronavirus transmission among health workers.

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Some technology application companies have developed the telemedicine service app in cooperation with the Health Ministry, he remarked.

The number of its users has burgeoned, from some four million to 15 million. "This is very good," Jokowi affirmed.

Speaking in connection with the handling of COVID-19 patients, the president has instructed the health minister to improve its management, so that not all patients would require hospitalization.

Jokowi stated that patients not needing intensive care can self-isolate at home.

Patients exhibiting mild to moderate symptoms can be treated at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital in Kemayoran, Jakarta, while patients in need of intensive care will receive treatment at referral hospitals for coronavirus infection.

As of Sunday (April 12), Indonesia had recorded a total of 4,241 confirmed COVID-19 cases, while 359 patients recovered and 373 died of the novel coronavirus infection.

Jakarta remained the province, with the highest number of COVID-19 positive patients, at 2,044, followed by 450 positive cases in West Java, 386 in East Java, 281 in Banten, 222 in South Sulawesi, and 200 in Central Java.

The government has imposed a large-scale social distancing (PSBB) measure to slow down the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

EDITED BY INE

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Translator: Rangga Pandu AJ, Sri Haryati
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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