In the series of Maluku Expedition activities in November 2020, EcoNusa Maluku Expedition medical team held a Covid-19 simulation in Hatta Island, Banda District, Maluku Tengah Regency. The simulation involved medial team of the sub-community health center (Pustu) and local community.
The activity is intended to provide technical knowledge to the community when evacuates a Covid-19 patient to speedboat properly. Besides, the simulation here aims to educate the community on the impact of Sars Cov-2 transmission.
Doctor Syaiful Islam said, simulation or tryout that has been tested is intended for the community and the medical teams in Hatta Island to know how to handle the patients that has been infected by Covid-19.
“What makes a constraint (evacuation of the Covid-19-infected patient) usually are the community that lives in islands or isolated regions. Because to accommodate through a proper health facility is quite hard,” said Syaiful.
Therefore, EcoNusa medical teams shared their experience to community how to evacuate the Covid-19-infected patient with proper treatment based on health protocol.
The simulation illustrated the use of Covid-19 equipment, such as protective health gear. This simulation involved public community, medical teams, and the patient family.
The medical teams also shared their knowledge about sense of brotherhood that must be maintained during the pandemic. Participation from all community elements to care each other is needed to cope with the pandemic situation that has not improved yet so far.
“The meaning of this activity is not only sharing knowledge, but also calling the public to help each other, so that all of us can pass this pandemic,” he added.
Similarly to Syaiful Islam, CEO of EcoNusa Foundation, Bustar Maitar, explained, that EcoNusa did the Covid-19-patient handling simulation in small islets because the communities in that area are far from health facility. The medical workers in small islet such as Hatta Island is also very limited.
From this point, according to Bustar, EcoNusa considered the importance of sharing their knowledge to the community so they can evacuate by following the standard made by WHO and the government if there is Covid-19 case in the village.
“Hence, if there is Covid-19 case found after rapid test or any symptoms, one must surely be isolated first,” said Bustar.
Generally, villages in Maluku Islands visited by EcoNusa teams had already had their own isolation room. However, challenge remains existing when there is severe Covid-19 case that needs evacuation to Community Health Center or public hospital with reliable facilities and health workers to handle the patient.
“We are together with the community conducting the tryout (Covid-19 evacuation), by wearing a complete protective health gear to prevent from transmission. We made a scenario by taking the patient to the boat, then transferring her/him to nearby hospital,” added Bustar.
In addition to the simulation, EcoNusa also provides health equipment supports such as protective health gear, rapid test kit, gloves and mask. That equipment becomes the community tools and medical teams in small islets in Maluku to cope with the possibility of Covid-19 case that requires evacuation action.
Editor: V. Arnila Wulandani & Leo Wahyudi
