TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Jakarta Health Agency will increase the capacity of isolation and ICU beds for COVID-19 patients to anticipate a possible surge in the number of patients needing hospital treatment after the 2021 Eid holidays.

“We increase the capacity by 40 percent in line with the circular from the Health Ministry,” said the agency’s Head of Referral Health Services and Health Crisis, Sulung, via a text message on Monday, June 7.

According to Sulung, among the additional referral hospitals that are presently being trained include Cendana Hospital, Setia Mitra Hospital, JMC Hospital, Petukangan Hospital, PIK Tzu Chi Hospital, and Abdi Waluyo Hospital.

“[We will add] 143 isolation beds and 16 ICU beds,” he said.

The agency also planned to team up with private hospitals. Two of the targeted hospitals are Permata Kuningan Hospital and Royal Serpong Hospital.

In collaboration with SOEs and the private sector, the agency will step up the capacity of isolation beds at Tria Dipa Hospital and Mediros Hospital.

At present, the capital city has 106 COVID-19 referral hospitals with 6,621 isolation beds and 1,014 ICU beds.

The occupancy rate of both isolation and ICU beds has risen in the past three weeks. As of May 23, 28 percent of isolation beds and 31 percent of ICU beds across the city were occupied.

A week later, on May 30, the figure rose to 33 percent and 38 percent, respectively. The occupancy rate of COVID-19 isolation beds and ICU beds kept climbing to 42 percent and 45 percent as of June 5.

Read: Jakarta Hospitals' Bed Occupancy Rate for COVID-19 Patients Rises in Last Three Weeks

LANI DIANA WIJAYA