Ministry Provides Health Services for Eid Homecoming Travelers

VIVA – The Indonesian Health Ministry provides health facilities such as hospitals for Eid homecoming travelers this year. This aims to make their journey run safely.

"During the Eid al-fitr homecoming, the ministry will prepare all hospitals and community health centers (puskesmas) along the homecoming route to handle non-COVID-19 illness," the Head of the ministry's Communication and Public Services Bureau Siti Nadia Tarmizi said in Jakarta on Thursday.

Tarmizi said that health services will be provided to travelers suffering from dizziness or high blood pressure. It will be integrated with the Transportation Ministry, National Police (Polri), and Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI).

However, COVID-19 handling services will remain on the alert mode in terms of ensuring the availability of beds for COVID-19 patients, PCR examinations, and drug availability, Tarmizi added.

"We will also prepare ventilators and oxygen. For now, we are not too worried because each hospital already has a sufficient oxygen supply.”

She said that the ministry will also continue to educate the public about taking the complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. Even though the pandemic is under control, people are continuing to live side-by-side with the virus.

In addition, even though the second booster is not a mandatory homecoming requirement, the government is still asking the public to get booster shots without delay to protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly and people with comorbidities, Tarmizi added.

She stressed that vaccination is still very effective in protecting all parties and preventing severe symptoms and death.

"Vaccination is not only for ourselves, but also to protect people who are at risk, such as vulnerable groups with kidney failure, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and others. They have a higher risk to be infected," she explained.

Meanwhile, regarding the vaccination centers, Tarmizi informed that the ministry will provide them at every point. The local governments will provide vaccination centers in their respective regions since the vaccines have been distributed to puskesmas.

Vaccination centers will also be set up in rest areas where it is possible to provide COVID-19 vaccination services. In addition, the ministry is also planning to offer examinations for early detection of diabetes to hypertension, she stated.