TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Presidential Chief of Staff and Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) chairperson Moeldoko in an online discussion on Monday elaborated why he took the liberty to distribute Ivermectin to COVID-19 patients in a number of cities. He also likened the pandemic to a war.

“Observing the domestic situation and what other countries are doing, as the HKTI chairman and former Armed Forces General, surely the way of thinking is different in viewing this situation,” said Moeldoko in the Frontline Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance Indonesia virtual discussion on June 28.

During the virtual event, Moeldoko likened multiple war strategy analogies in facing the pandemic. He said there was the element of calculated risks in mobilizing soldiers to a battle ground and exemplified the survival percentage of paratroopers when they were mobilized, which was 33 percent mortality rate.

“These are the conditions that we face from time to time that are always considered by a soldier,” Moeldoko said.

He insisted that the COVID-19 urgency needed this kind of thinking and asserted that we must continue moving instead of standing still and still facing the risk of death.

The HKTI chair distributed Ivermectin to HKTI members in areas such as Tangerang, East Jakarta, Depok, Bekasi, East Semarang, Sragen and Kudus. However, he also reminded people that the use of the drug must be applied carefully.

He boldly claimed that the results of using the antiparasitic drug treatment were acceptable. “The potency of [Ivermectin] is nearly 100 percent in Tangerang City, East Jakarta, Depok, and Bekasi.”

Read: COVID-19: Defense University, PT Harsen to Test Ivermectin as Preventive Drug

M ROSSENO AJI