Govt in Search of Island to Treat Infectious Disease Outbreaks
Translator
Editor
6 February 2020 18:34 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law, and Human Rights Mahfud MD said the government is in search of an island that would later be used to establish a hospital to accommodate patients with infectious diseases.
He deems this important to localize the spread of diseases in the case of another outbreak in the future.
“We will look for a deserted location, an island, in which there are thousands we have that are still deserted. One of these types of islands will be chosen to build the hospital,” said Mahfud MD at the Presidential Palace Complex on Thursday, February 6.
He defends that this plan is to anticipate future outbreaks and denies that it is a response to handle the spread of the current novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV).
“Not only the coronavirus, but President Jokowi also requested this as a long-term plan as a location for a special hospital that would later handle infectious diseases,” said Mahfud.
Head of the National Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo previously said that the government is preparing a specific scenario to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus. He maintained that one of them will be done by establishing a facility in an isolated area.
AHMAD FAIZ IBNU SANI