Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/ind...ead-load-in-face-of-swine-flu-pandemic/320574
July 28, 2009
Amir Tejo & Dessy Sagita
Indonesia's Hospitals Want to Spread Load In Face of Swine Flu Pandemic
Fears of being overwhelmed with too many suspected cases of H1N1 influenza patients has led to Surabaya?s largest hospital appealing to smaller institutions to try as much as possible to look after swine flu patients themselves.
?There?s a tendency for regional hospitals to refer patients to Soetomo Hospital too quickly,? Urip Murtedjo, the head of intensive care said on Monday.
Many could be satisfactorily treated in regional hospitals, he said.
Urip said dealing with suspected H1N1 patients was easy because the most important factor was the availability of isolation rooms and antiviral drugs.
Given these basic requirements, regional hospitals should be able to handle cases independently without referring patients to the provincial hospital.
Since the swine flu outbreak emerged in the country early in June, Soetomo Hospital has treated more than 30 suspected sufferers although eventually none was diagnosed as having the virus.
On Thursday, eight patients suspected of being infected by the virus were discharged from the hospital after their tests came back negative.
Urip said the hospital currently had 6,000 tablets of Tamiflu, the A Influenza antiviral drug. The amount, he said, was considered sufficient because drug distribution from the central government was very smooth.
Sanglah Hospital, the biggest in Bali, has also complained of not having enough isolation rooms to quarantine patients.
Nyoman Sutedja, head of Bali?s provincial health department, said he planned to increase the number of quarantine rooms from 23 to 53. However, this would require the use of rooms outside the hospital.
Nyoman said that in Thailand, with the World Health Organization?s consent, patients were allowed to undergo isolation in their homes. Therefore, he had asked the Ministry of Health to issue an isolation policy which would allow patients to be treated at home, in a clinic or a hotel to avoid overloading the hospital system.
By Monday, the Ministry of Health said in an official report that the number of confirmed H1N1 cases in Indonesia had reached 400 and spread to at least 15 provinces.
Another 38 cases were confirmed on Monday in Jakarta, Bali, West Java, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan provinces.
Tjandra Yoga Aditama, the ministry?s director general of communicable diseases, said that even though the spread was rampant, the fatality rate was relatively low, at only 0.4 percent. He said the risk was higher for patients who suffered from AIDS, asthma, diabetes or hypertension.
Tjandra said to curb transmission, infected people should stay at home and avoid crowded places for at least five days.
However, if the symptoms did not clear up within two days, they should see a doctor.
July 28, 2009
Amir Tejo & Dessy Sagita
Indonesia's Hospitals Want to Spread Load In Face of Swine Flu Pandemic
Fears of being overwhelmed with too many suspected cases of H1N1 influenza patients has led to Surabaya?s largest hospital appealing to smaller institutions to try as much as possible to look after swine flu patients themselves.
?There?s a tendency for regional hospitals to refer patients to Soetomo Hospital too quickly,? Urip Murtedjo, the head of intensive care said on Monday.
Many could be satisfactorily treated in regional hospitals, he said.
Urip said dealing with suspected H1N1 patients was easy because the most important factor was the availability of isolation rooms and antiviral drugs.
Given these basic requirements, regional hospitals should be able to handle cases independently without referring patients to the provincial hospital.
Since the swine flu outbreak emerged in the country early in June, Soetomo Hospital has treated more than 30 suspected sufferers although eventually none was diagnosed as having the virus.
On Thursday, eight patients suspected of being infected by the virus were discharged from the hospital after their tests came back negative.
Urip said the hospital currently had 6,000 tablets of Tamiflu, the A Influenza antiviral drug. The amount, he said, was considered sufficient because drug distribution from the central government was very smooth.
Sanglah Hospital, the biggest in Bali, has also complained of not having enough isolation rooms to quarantine patients.
Nyoman Sutedja, head of Bali?s provincial health department, said he planned to increase the number of quarantine rooms from 23 to 53. However, this would require the use of rooms outside the hospital.
Nyoman said that in Thailand, with the World Health Organization?s consent, patients were allowed to undergo isolation in their homes. Therefore, he had asked the Ministry of Health to issue an isolation policy which would allow patients to be treated at home, in a clinic or a hotel to avoid overloading the hospital system.
By Monday, the Ministry of Health said in an official report that the number of confirmed H1N1 cases in Indonesia had reached 400 and spread to at least 15 provinces.
Another 38 cases were confirmed on Monday in Jakarta, Bali, West Java, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan provinces.
Tjandra Yoga Aditama, the ministry?s director general of communicable diseases, said that even though the spread was rampant, the fatality rate was relatively low, at only 0.4 percent. He said the risk was higher for patients who suffered from AIDS, asthma, diabetes or hypertension.
Tjandra said to curb transmission, infected people should stay at home and avoid crowded places for at least five days.
However, if the symptoms did not clear up within two days, they should see a doctor.