TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As many as 22 resident doctors at Surabaya Dr. Soetomo Hospital, East Java, contracted the new coronavirus disease or COVID-19. They are participants of the specialist education program (PPDS) of the Airlangga University’s Faculty of Medicine.

The Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Soetojo, confirmed the news. “I don’t remember the exact number [of resident doctors who are infected with the virus, but it’s not over 25. Perhaps around 15-20 people,” said Soetojo to Tempo on Friday, June 19.

According to Soetojo, those resident doctors were not in a bad condition, so they were undergoing individual isolation, either in the designated sites or in their own houses.

Soetojo claimed he was unsure of where the 22 people contracted the disease. However, they likely got exposed while working at the hospital. “Most of them seemed to be exposed [to the virus] at the hospital, but it’s not certain.”

The professor of urology said that his faculty had taken several anticipatory measures to protect medical workers from possible exposure to COVID-19. They were provided with personal protective equipment (PPE) based on the security level.

In addition, resident doctors with comorbidities are not allowed to directly handle COVID-19 patients.

Tempo contacted the Director of Dr. Soetomo Hospital, Joni Wahyudi, but there has been no response yet.

Previously reported, a resident doctor from the Airlangga University’s Faculty of Medicine, Miftah Fawzy Sarengat, succumbed to the illness on June 10, 2020. Miftah was the Chief of Internal Medicine Resident at the hospital.

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BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI