IDI Urged to Talk to Komnas HAM over COVID-19 Deaths among Health Workers
Translator
Editor
2 August 2021 17:07 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Former Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, suggested the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) talk to the National Commission on Human Rights or Komnas HAM about the deaths of health workers while handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to him, Komnas HAM will need to examine further as to whether there was potential for serious human rights violations from the high number of deaths of healthcare professionals allegedly due to the government’s pandemic measures that are far from satisfactory.
“Whether or not there is potential for gross violations of human rights,” said Yusril in a written statement on Monday, August 2.
He explained he had conveyed the input in a webinar held by IDI on Saturday, July 31, which was attended by around 2,000 doctors, observers, and IDI officials.
He highlighted the delay in the injection of the third dose of COVID-19 vaccine for health workers, which affected the rising number of victims among them. More victims among health workers, he argued, meant more people who would become victims.
Yusril, who is also a former Minister of State Secretary, said the state had the obligation to protect people’s rights, viz. the rights to live and to have healthcare services as mandated in the 1945 Constitution. He underlined that those were serious issues so that they were in the public spotlight both in the country and abroad.
Civil coalition Lapor COVID-19 reported that as of August 2, 1,636 health workers died due to COVID-19, consisting of 598 doctors, 503 nurses, 299 field workers, 48 pharmacists, two epidemiologists, 46 dentists, and others.
Read: MPR Deputy Speaker Urges Govt to Focus on Condition of Health Workers
BUDIARTI UTAMI PUTRI