IDI to Study COVID-19 Transmission Pattern in Medical Workers

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) plans to analyze the transmission patterns of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in medical workers as a higher number of doctors have died of the virus.

"It is important for us to take a step to protect and rescue medical workers," vice chairman of the IDI central executive board, Adib Khumaidi, said on Wednesday.

To that end, the IDI central executive board will soon look into the causes of some 100 doctors' deaths in the country, in addition to exposure to COVID-19, he informed.

This may refer to the potential risk of exposure to COVID-19 while serving patients or socializing in the community, including the possibility of them having comorbidities, he noted.

Some of the medical workers who have died did not directly handle COVID-19 patients, he pointed out.

"Therefore, we will analyze the transmission pattern," he added.

As per a preliminary analysis, in general, medical workers died of COVID-19 not merely because of poor personal protective equipment, he informed. The problem was also connected to the standardization of the service system and regulations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.

Another factor was the workload of doctors or medical workers serving COVID-19 patients, he added.

"This is also related to working hours and rest. On our part, we must make a good regulation to control their working hours," he remarked.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals should not add to the workload of medical workers, but rather control the workload, he said.

Looking ahead, the IDI will calculate the capability of human resources to find the best solution, he added.

Read also: Indonesia Records More Than 3,000 New COVID-19 Cases in One Day

ANTARA