"We also need additional nurses and doctors. We have identified a requirement of between 16 thousand and 20 thousand nurses," the minister noted during a virtual press conference in Jakarta, Monday.
Sadikin remarked that the Ministry of Health had readied and identified nurses that had graduated from nursing school, cleared the competency test, and were still at the final level.
"On the president’s instructions, we will speak to the minister of education on how we can move these nurses into practice more quickly," the minister remarked.
Sadikin acknowledged that some three thousand doctors were needed to handle additional cases of COVID-19 patients in Indonesia.
"We also see that there are around 3,900 doctors, who will complete their internships this year. Hence, we have also prepared those doctors, who have just graduated from their internships to enter immediately," the minister stated.
Sadikin noted that health workers will also be administered a third vaccination, this time of the Moderna brand.
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"The plan will be as soon as possible after we finalize the distribution with the associations of doctors, nurses, and midwives to conduct a third vaccination with Moderna administered to them, and it will start as soon as possible to protect them as one of our front liners that we must protect," the minister stated.
On Sunday (July 11), some 3,000,060 doses of Moderna vaccine arrived from the United States that will be prioritized for health workers as a third or booster vaccination. Moderna vaccines are delivered through the COVAX Facility.
"Some of the nurses and doctors have contracted COVID-19 and must self-isolate. We are very concerned here and will continue to pay attention to the health of these nurses, doctors, and midwives," Sadikin stated.
Based on data from the COVID-19 Task Force as of July 11, 2021, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia had reached 2,527,203, with an additional 36,197 people recorded in 24 hours, so the number of current active cases totals 376,015.
The number of recovered patients increased by 32,615 people, so the total recovery count reached 2,084,724.
Meanwhile, those who died from exposure to COVID-19 climbed by 1,007, bringing the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in Indonesia to 66,464.
Based on data from the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), the total number of doctors succumbing to COVID-19 as of July 8, 2021, reached 458, an increase of almost seven folds.
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Translator: Desca L, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
