"Through a management meeting, we finally decided to increase the number of isolation rooms by closing and turning Pavilion/VIP rooms into isolation rooms for COVID-19."
Klungkung, Bali (ANTARA) - A rise in the number of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases in the past few days has led to shortage of isolation rooms at the Klungkung Regional General Hospital (RSUD) in Bali Province.

"Through a management meeting, we finally decided to increase the number of isolation rooms by closing and turning Pavilion/VIP rooms into isolation rooms for COVID-19," the hospital's director, Dr Nyoman Kesuma, noted in a statement released on Thursday.

By Tuesday (Aug 18), a total of 77 patients comprising 26 patients, including four postpartum mothers, with suspected COVID-19, and 51 patients, including two postpartum mothers, with confirmed COVID-19, are receiving treatment at the hospital.

"We have to hold a meeting to find a solution since eight suspected COVID-19 patients have not got isolation rooms, including ICU COVID-19 isolation rooms for two patients and ordinary isolation rooms for six patients. In addition, three infants of mothers suspected of having contracted COVID-19 are being kept in tetanus isolation rooms," he revealed.

Based on the result of the meeting, the hospital management decided to prepare one additional room to boost the capacity of ordinary isolation rooms and one additional room to step up the capacity of ICU COVID-19 isolation rooms. The additional ICU COVID-19 isolation room was made available after an ordinary isolation room was turned into an ICU COVID-19 isolation room. Hence, the total bed capacity of ICU COVID-19 isolation rooms rose to 14.

To increase the number of ordinary isolation rooms, the hospital management decided to close pavilion/VIP rooms and instead use them as COVID-19 isolation rooms. The decision was taken since the hospital has no other alternative. Moreover, the VIP rooms are located in the same block as the other isolation rooms, he noted.

"Hence, the VIP rooms, which have until now served as the hospital's important source of income, must be turned into (isolation rooms) to cater to the rising number of COVID-19 patients," he added.
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