Hospital workers in poor knowledge of AIDS risk<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Most major hospitals in Jakarta are qualified to
\ntreat patients afflicted by the Human Immunodeficiency Virus
\n(HIV), an expert from the School of Medicine of University of
\nIndonesia (FKUI).<\/p>\n
However, a study shows that many hospital staffers are still
\nnot taking adequate precautions to protect themselves from the
\ndisease.<\/p>\n
Dr. H. Rustamadji told The Jakarta Post here yesterday that
\nFKUI and the Cipto Mangunkusumo general hospital (RSCM) have
\nconducted a series of training programs for hospitals in the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
"Some HIV carriers, especially those in serious condition,
\nare being referred here but many of them are being treated at
\ntheir respective hospitals," he said.<\/p>\n
Speaking after a seminar on The Conduct and Behavior of
\nMedical and Hospital Staff in dealing with AIDS at RSCM,
\nRustamadji said that some hospitals in Jakarta were not able to
\ndeal with these patients adequately. But he added that the major
\nhospitals are now quite proficient at taking care of AIDS
\npatients.<\/p>\n
Major hospitals in the city, such as the Metro Medical Center
\nand Pertamina hospital in South Jakarta, the St. Carolus and
\nKramat hospitals in Central Jakarta, and the Mitra Keluarga
\nhospital in East Jakarta, have been identified as those qualified
\nto deal with the disease.<\/p>\n
Research<\/p>\n
Ambar Wahjuningsih Roestam, the main speaker at yesterday's
\nseminar, said a three-month survey she conducted showed that many
\nhospital staff workers did not have an adequate understanding of
\nthe disease, including those working in the hospital morgue.<\/p>\n
She revealed that 27 percent of 92 morgue workers she
\ninterviewed did not use gloves while handling HIV positive
\ncorpses despite the potential dangers.<\/p>\n
"They are not aware of the serious risks, even though any one
\nof them could have been infected through a small wound," said
\nAmbar. She added that economic factors were often at fault
\nbecause some hospitals failed to supply adequate protection
\napparel to morgue workers.<\/p>\n
Another area of concern discussed at the seminar was the
\nimproper disposal of used syringes.<\/p>\n
Ambar admitted that the research, which involved 304
\nrespondents from the period of November 1993 to January 1994, did
\nnot look into hazardous waste disposal. However, she added that
\nthe methods used by most hospitals to dispose of the needles were
\na potential source of HIV transmission.<\/p>\n
She also said that, apart from the regular anti-AIDS campaign,
\nmore practical prevention techniques had to be provided,
\nespecially for those who face constant exposure to this still
\nincurable disease.<\/p>\n
Precautions<\/p>\n
When asked about what precautions were being taken to prevent
\nthe carries from entering Jakarta, Rustamadji confessed that no
\nsort of inspections were being conducted to monitor travelers
\nfrom abroad.<\/p>\n
He explained that such methods would not be practical since it
\nwould interfere with the speedy flow of people coming into the
\nairport.<\/p>\n
Apart from that, he said that testing would not guarantee any
\nsort of safeguard since a person could be a full-blown AIDS
\ncarrier without being HIV positive.<\/p>\n
The government has recently embarked on numerous programs to
\nsuppress the spread of AIDS in the country. Among the most recent
\nis the establishment of a government commission chaired by the
\nCoordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas.<\/p>\n
The fear of the disease has also prompted the government to
\nconsider a ruling obligating expatriates to acquire AIDS-free
\ncertificates. Due to the overwhelming public outcry, the final
\ndecision on this matter has so far been left pending.<\/p>\n
The official number of HIV carriers in Jakarta at present
\nstands at 69 people. However Dr. Suryadi from the Ministry of
\nHealth's Research and Development office told the Post yesterday
\nthat the actual number could be in the thousands.<\/p>\n
"I think it could be around five or six thousand," he said,
\nadding that Jakarta has the highest infection rate followed by
\nSurabaya and Bali.<\/p>\n
Despite having only 263 officially recorded AIDS cases, many
\nhave stated that the actual number in Indonesia is far higher.<\/p>\n
Azwar Anas himself has indicated that the actual number of HIV
\ncarriers in the country could be 200 times higher than the one
\nofficially recorded.<\/p>\n
Estimates have put the figure at around 20,000 with
\nprojections reaching nearly half a million in less than a decade.<\/p>\n
When asked if the disease was found in any particular group in
\nsociety, Surjadi said for the present it was still concentrated
\namong homosexuals and prostitutes.<\/p>\n
However, he admitted that the current numbers might not be an
\naccurate representation of the makeup of HIV carriers since there
\nhave never been any wide-scale testing for AIDS.<\/p>\n
"They are the ones we have found most often infected because
\nthey have been the main focus of the tests being conducted," he
\nsaid. He added that anyone who had multiple partners was prone to
\nthe disease. (mds)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hospital-workers-in-poor-knowledge-of-aids-risk-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}