‘Death in their homes’: Indonesians hit by COVID battling gas | Coronavirus News Plague

Jakarta / Bekasi, Indonesia – Outside a small store in South Jakarta, many people line up to save their loved one’s life.

In the Indonesian capital, air is a valuable commodity as the country struggles with the problem of COVID-19.

“I came to buy my mother’s oxygen tank, she was diagnosed with the disease on Sunday and we tried several hospitals but they were all full,” said Pinta, waiting in line.

“I have received a list of places that sell oxygen but the places we went to are closed or closed. Thank God, a friend told me to come here. ”

Hunting for air in Jakarta in recent weeks is an unexpected struggle – the chances of a patient surviving can be found by chance, depending on whether their relative was in the right store, at the right time.

A woman in line, Winda, says she is trying to get her brother-in-law’s breath.

“I had a hard time getting oxygen last night. I went to five places, including the store and the big drug market but it was all over, ”he said.

“We went to the hospital … they said to give air at home while waiting for the hospital … but we have been waiting for two days and no one is being sent to the hospital.”

‘We are more anxious than ever’

Minanti, 22, is taking care of her elderly father at home after he failed to get him to hospital.

She has diabetes, and has heart and kidney problems, which puts her at greater risk from coronavirus.

But they have not yet found a place in overcrowded hospitals in Jakarta.

“We tried hospitals near our house … we went to the emergency room and they said, ‘look, it’s full,’ ‘and they told us that even though they had an airway problem,” Minanti said.

“Another hospital was also full. He has a tent in front of the house, full of sick people … we were so scared. ”

Now, like thousands of people in Indonesia, Minanti understands his struggle to find an oxygen cylinder during this time of disease.

“It was very difficult to find oxygen tanks. We borrowed and all of a sudden, the owners wanted more because they, too, received COVID, ”he said.

After that, he was able to buy an oxygen tank – but restarting it becomes a constant struggle.

“It seemed like a miracle to copy the tank. Now, they need to have a steady supply of air because they cannot breathe, ”he said.

“If the government had to respond more quickly from now on, milandu cases will have exploded. Oxygen tanks are hard to buy, and they are hard to fill and the hospitals are already full. ”

‘We can’t help them’

Hospital staff members monitor COVID-19 patients living in isolation at home [Fakhrur Rozi/Al Jazeera]

It is not just ordinary people who are suffering from shortages of air and chemicals – health experts have also told Al Jazeera that they do not have enough resources to help anyone in need.

Dr Erni Herdiani is the head of the Lemah Abang Health Clinic in Bekasi, outside Jakarta.

“We need oxygen tanks, oxygen tanks and medicine. We are treating a very serious illness, we need a drug like remdesivir and we can’t get it, ”he said.

“We need to give patients oxygen and medicine. We need oxygen tanks … this is more than I expected. Many patients are in need of oxygen, and in the near future, it can be very difficult. ”

Dr Erni wants to buy extra oxygen tanks at his hospital but says it is impossible.

“Right now, we can’t afford to buy it. There are no tanks. We want the government to provide this, ”he said.

As hospitals in Java and other parts of Indonesia are very close, they are in the hospital to care for some of the thousands of patients who may not receive them.

Dr Erni Herdiani is leading a hospital outside of Jakarta and says it is difficult to find tanks of oxygen, oil and medicines needed to treat patients with COVID-19. [Jessica Washington/Al Jazeera]

But Dr Erni’s team is also in trouble – there are fewer than 30 paramedics at his hospital and he is caring for more than 300 patients.

Every day, medical teams from his clinic visit some of the patients.

The group is accustomed to finding dead patients in their homes.

“At the moment there is a lot of loss [of life] at home. “Sometimes, we have a report of a deceased person, if we look at the body, they are healthy,” he said.

Dr Erni believes government figures, which number more than 66,000, are low.

“Not much was said. It’s very sad because we couldn’t help them. ”

Even major hospitals are struggling with shortages or delays in receiving air.

This week, at least 33 patients with coronavirus died at a hospital in Jogjakarta, on the island of Java, when the hospital ran out of air.

A spokesman at Dr Sardjito General Hospital told reporters that there were delays from donors.

‘We don’t see that story’

Dr Siti Nadia Tarmizi from the Indonesian Ministry of Health said she had already addressed the problem of air pollution.

“What happened in Jogjakarta … due to the high number of patients, their belongings were quickly depleted and their follow-up was the next morning. They were short of breath… time was running out there,” he said.

“We are speeding up the distribution. Originally, it was two or three days, now we ask [them] be ready to ship within 12 to 24 hours. ”

Health workers look for oxygen tanks inside an emergency tent for patients under the control of COVID-19 at a hospital in Bekasi near Jakarta [File: Mast Irham/EPA]

The Ministry of Health has ordered air producers to change their oxygen supply systems instead of industrial ones.

“As we strive to address the air crisis, especially from our global industries, its potential is still high,” Dr Nadia told Al Jazeera.

Dr Nadia said the first step is to provide air for hospitals and clinics. He says there is no shortage of oxygen.

“I don’t think this has happened. At the moment we do not see this problem in the hospital, they have a small number but we are trying to fill their inventory, “he said.

Cases can grow up to 50,000 or 70,000 per day. Important [for oxygen] it’s been fulfilled but it’s not good. ”

Dr Nadia says the Ministry of Health did not expect such a big jump.

“The big problem was that, last week, we had a lot of patients that we didn’t expect,” he said.

“It is difficult to find ambulances and hospitals. In some cases, when they arrive at the hospital, they die on the street… or patients die in their homes. ”