South Sumatra Governor Requests 24-Hour Community Health Centre Services for Respiratory Patients

Palembang (ANTARA) - The Governor of South Sumatra, Herman Deru, has requested all regents and mayors within the province to open community health centre (Puskesmas) services 24 hours a day to treat residents suffering from acute respiratory infections (ISPA) caused by the impact of forest and land fire (karhutla) smoke.

Speaking in Palembang on Tuesday, the South Sumatra Governor stated that this policy has been coordinated with district and city governments as a rapid response to provide healthcare services amidst increasing exposure to smoke from forest fires.

“I have coordinated with regents and mayors to ensure Puskesmas are open 24 hours for ISPA services,” he said.

Strengthening health centre services is necessary to ensure that members of the public experiencing respiratory disturbances due to smoke exposure can receive immediate treatment.

In addition to the health sector, the South Sumatra Provincial Government is also making adjustments to educational activities as an effort to reduce the risk of smoke exposure to children. School start times have been extended, and students are required to wear masks as long as air conditions remain affected by smoke.

Field teams have been tasked with identifying economic activities disrupted by the forest fires, including the micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) sector. Deru noted that the authorities are currently awaiting data from the assigned teams to assess which economic sectors are affected so that appropriate mitigation measures can be implemented.