Hospitals take contigency measures<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Taking a lesson from the bomb blasts on Bali that killed nearly
\n200 people, the Jakarta City Health Agency, in cooperation with
\nprivate and state hospitals, has established standard procedures
\nfor helping victims of terrorist attacks in the capital.<\/p>\n
The head of the City Health Agency, Choliq Masulili, said he
\nhad held a meeting with executives of 101 private and state
\nhospitals in the city to discuss the emergency plans.<\/p>\n
\"During the meeting, we agreed to establish standard
\nprocedures to help victims if such an unexpected incident were to
\noccur here,\" Choliq told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the procedures established that hospitals nearest the
\nattack site were obliged to go on standby to provide medical
\ntreatment for the wounded and to help identify the dead.<\/p>\n
Choliq said the procedures were put in place after officials
\nhere saw the difficulties faced by hospitals in Bali in treating
\nthe victims of the bombings.<\/p>\n
\"We should prepare umbrellas before the rain falls,\" he said.<\/p>\n
There are 54 ambulances ready to be put into operation at all
\ntimes and that number can be increased to up to 200 ambulances if
\nnecessary, he said.<\/p>\n
According to Choliq, hospitals in the capital were equipped
\nand prepared to provide medical care for victims of terrorist
\nattacks, even of the magnitude of the bombings in Bali.<\/p>\n
He said there were numerous medical specialists in the capital
\nwho could be deployed quickly, adding that exercises for such a
\ncontingency had already begun to be implemented.<\/p>\n
The city administration, according to Choliq, would take
\nresponsibility for all medical costs for victims of attacks,
\nadding that the hospitals should never turn away victims.<\/p>\n
\"The hospitals will not ask the victims to pay as we will pay
\ntheir costs, so there is no reason for hospitals to deny them,\"
\nhe said, adding that this also applied for foreigners.<\/p>\n
Choliq, however, admitted that there was no single hospital in
\nthe city that had sufficient facilities to store bodies if the
\ncasualty toll in an attack reached up to 200 people.<\/p>\n
\"The capacity of the storage facilities at the capital's
\nhospitals is less than 100. If casualties reached 200 or 300
\npeople, we would have to use refrigerators that are usually used
\nto store meat,\" said Choliq.<\/p>\n
Choliq said he had made a proposal to City Hall to purchase
\nadditional storage facilities, so that at least each of the
\ncity's five mayoralties would have the facility.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/hospitals-take-contigency-measures-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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