Presiden Joko Widodo melihat peralatan medis di ruang IGD saat meninjau Rumah Sakit Darurat Penanganan COVID-19 Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, Jakarta, Senin (23/3/2020). Presiden Joko Widodo memastikan Rumah Sakit Darurat Penanganan COVID-19 Wisma Atlet Kemayoran siap digunakan untuk menangani 3.000 pasien. ANTARA FOTO/Hafidz Mubarak A/Pool/aww.

An ST Forumer by the name of Ramon Greep wrote a letter to ST Forum which was published today, urging Singapore to take in COVID-19 intensive care patients from neighbouring countries, especially those from Indonesia (‘Singapore should take in ICU patients from neighbouring countries‘, 3 Feb).

Mr Greep wrote to ST Forum in response to the recent news that the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia has surged past 1 million.

Mr Greep, however, also noted that Austria is flying in COVID-19 intensive care patients from Portugal to take care of them. In addition, Germany took in COVID-19 intensive care patients from the Netherlands too when the intensive care units there were running out of capacity, he observed.

“Shouldn’t Singapore do the same and lend a helping hand to its neighbours?” Mr Greep asked.

“The Straits Times report said Indonesia has passed one million coronavirus cases as hospitals are pushed to the brink. It was also reported that Indonesians are dying because the hospitals in the country are full and are turning people away.”

Mr Greep has taken note that intensive care units in Singapore currently have zero COVID-19 patients and also have had low numbers for a long, sustained period of time.

“Morally, isn’t helping the right thing to do?” he questioned.

“There is also another benefit – it will improve Singapore’s global standing.”

Indeed, as at yesterday (2 Feb), COVID-19 cases in Indonesia rose by 10,379 within one day to 1,099,687, with the death toll adding by 304 to 30,581.

The virus has spread to all Indonesia’s 34 provinces. Specifically, within the past 24 hours, Jakarta recorded 3,362 new cases, West Java 2,068, Central Java 1,116, East Java 847 and East Kalimantan 443.

 

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