Govt deploys more doctors to big airports

Sat, 05 Apr 2003, 00:00 WIB | Source: JP

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has deployed more medical doctors at major
airports across the country as the number of suspected Severe
Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) cases rose to six on Friday.

Director for epidemiology surveillance, immunization, and
health at the Ministry of Health Indriyono said 12 doctors had
been stationed at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in
Cengkareng, west of Jakarta; 15 at Denpasar's Ngurah Rai Airport
in Bali, and another four at Batam's International Airport in
Riau, 24 hours after the government declared SARS a national
threat and implementing a law on epidemics.

At gate one of terminal D at Soekarno-Hatta airport, one
medical doctor and three health officials -- all wearing masks --
met passengers arriving from Taiwan and Singapore, while
distributing yellow health alert cards to them.

The passengers had to write their name, passport number,
complete addresses in Indonesia and port of departure, and hand
them back to the officials.

"Could you please write down your district on this? Because we
need your complete address," a health official said to a woman
who apparently lived in a village in Ponorogo, East Java.

Meanwhile, the doctors carefully observed all passengers to
check for those who displayed signs of illness. "We don't examine
each passenger because it would not enable us to determine
whether the person is carrying the SARS virus or not. In the
incubation period of two to seven days, no symptoms are visible,"
said Roeselar, one of the airport doctors.

As the public becomes more concerned the government is
expected to take tighter measures to prevent SARS from spreading
in the country. Recently, jitters among the general public can be
seen from the numerous phone calls, e-mails and short messaging
service (SMS) between people, phone calls inundating the SARS
hotline number, newspaper headlines and continuous television
coverage, as well as the rising demand for masks.

However, health officials at the airport are taking the same
measures as they had taken before the government announced the
implementation of Law No.4/1984 on epidemics.

The only difference is that the government has added doctors
and medical personnel at the airport and that health officials
now feel they have more authority in carrying out their duties.

"We feel more confident because we are implementing a law, so
people have to comply," said Roeselar.

At Ngurah Rai International Airport in Denpasar, Bali, where
about 800 foreigners are expected to come to participate in the
planned 52nd Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) conference
from April 13 to April 17, tighter measures have been taken.

Chief of the immigration office at the airport I Gde Widiartha
said on Friday that any incoming foreign passengers and flight
crew who were suspected of having SARS would be denied entry to
Bali.

"Based on Law No. 9/1997 on immigration, we have the authority
not to issue an entry permit for certain individuals," he said.
"Those who are suspected of having SARS will be deported or sent
back to their port of embarkation."

This decision, according to Widiartha, has been implemented
since Friday morning. Immigration officers, airport authorities
and relevant agencies have been notified of the decision.

Furthermore, all immigration officers on duty have been told
to wear protective masks to prevent the possible transmission of
the SARS virus, he said.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, local councillors held a meeting
on Friday with local health agency officials to discuss measures
to prevent the spread of SARS.

"Although there is no international airport here, there is
still the possibility of people with SARS entering our town,"
said the head of Makassar health agency Dr. Armyn Nurdin.

The agency also appointed Wahidin Soedirohoesodo Hospital to
treat SARS patients.

Health officials in Makassar's Hasanuddin seaport have
established a medical post for SARS and also put up posters
containing information about SARS at many spots.

According to information from respective hospitals, one more
suspected SARS patient was admitted to Sulyanti Saroso Infectious
Diseases Hospital at Sunter, North Jakarta on Friday, bringing
the total to six.

One suspected SARS patient is currently being confined in
Batam, Riau; one died in Jakarta last week, reportedly not
because of SARS but of multiple-organ failure; two were released
from hospital in Jakarta and are being monitored; and one in
Semarang, Central Java was declared free from SARS as he was
suffering from normal pneumonia.

Globally, according to a World Health Organization (WHO)
report on April 3, 2,270 people have been infected with SARS, of
whom 97 have died.