Jokowi Urged to Fire Health Minister Over COVID-19 Incompetence

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A member of the Indonesian civil society coalition and Migrant Care activist, Anis Hidayah, urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to discharge Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto after the minister has shown what the activist claims as the tendency to underestimate, belittle, and be anti-scientific in the wake of a pressing issue such as the coronavirus outbreak. 

“We urge President Jokowi to replace Health Minister Terawan with a figure that better understands issues regarding public health, is sensitive to crises, and is able to guide us through the worst health crisis we experience today,” said Anis in a written statement on Tuesday, March 17.

Anis, together with other activists, claims to have taken note of Terawan’s basic mistakes such as claiming that cured COVID-19 patients will eventually be immune to the virus, despite the contrary shown by cases in other countries. 

Terawan’s second mistake, Anis said, is failing to prepare hospitals to act swiftly in mitigating the coronavirus outbreak. 

“This includes making sure that the funds and equipment are available, maintaining the quality of work of health workers, administration workers, data centers, and information in hospitals,” said Anis. 

The third vital mistake the coalition claims Terawan had committed is the monopoly upon lab testing swab test samples at the Jakarta Health Research and Development Agency, which has slowed down the rapid response against the coronavirus crisis. 

The coalition is comprised of a number of non-government organizations (NGOs) such as Migrant Care, KontraS, Lokataru, YLBHI, LBH Masyarakat, Walhi, PKBI, YLKI, PSHK, Amnesty International Indonesia, AJAR, and  P2D.

AHMA FAIZ IBNU SANI