YOGYAKARTA, Suara Muhammadiyah – Coronavirus pandemic or what we call Covid-19 recently has become such a global threat. Its ability to spread and infect in a blink on an eye has demanded all communities to contain the spread and flatten the curve immediately. It is not only governments obligation to contain its spread but also the grassroot communites are suppose to be included in the effort. Muhammadiyah as one of the largest religious organization has played its role and shown its dedication on containing this pandemic.
Muhammadiyah has formed a specific working team to enhance the coordinating function of various prevention effort and strategic measure to flatten the curve. Its called Covid-19 Command Center (MCCC) which has been launched on March 5 2020. Its formation considered as the further assignment from the coordination of Muhammadiyah Community Health Body so called Majelis Pembina Kesehatan Umum (MPKU) and its Disaster Management Center called MDMC. MCCC consists of the representation of ‘Aisyiyah, LAZISMU (Muhammadiyah Charitable Body), DIKTILITBANG (Muhammadiyah Body on Higher Education and Research), DIKDASMEN (Muhammadiyah Body on Primary and Secondary Education), Majelis Tabligh (Muhammadiyah Body on Dakwah), IPM (Muhammadiyah Student Association), Ikatan Mahasiswa Muhammadiyah (Muhammadiyah Higher Education Student Association), Nasyiatul ‘Aisyiyah (Aisyiyah’s Women Youth Association), Hizbul Wathan (HW), Tapak Suci Putera Muhammadiyah (TPSM), dan Pemuda Muhammadiyah (Muhammadiyah Youth Association).
In gerenal, the role of MCCC team is to push the prevention effort by educating society on the issue public health, mitigation, treatment and responsible on delivering the psychosocial program. On the education program, MCCC manages to push the the reliable information on Covid-19 massively to the wider public by direct approach or using to the online digital platform.
The direct approach on public education is carried out by pushing information of Covid-19 through Muhammadiyah’s branches to every corner of the country. One of the approach is by coordinating with local mosques to deliver the the information. Particularly on the importance of staying at home and avoiding the crowd, including to temporarily shut the religious ritual that used to be conducted by gathering in a crowd like the five times obligatory prayers congregation and Friday prayers.
MCCC also makes sure that the public education effort done through online platform equipped by informative material on Covid-19 from its prevention up to its treatment available to be accessed on https://covid19.muhammadiyah.id/ or to be distributed through social media by all of Muhammadiyah’s autonomous organization. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 mitigation and treatment effort by MCCC carried out by supporting Muhammadiyah’s Hospital operation that has been officially appointed to handle the Covid-19 patients. There are around 20 Muhammadiyah hospitals around the country that has appointed to carry out this duty. Such effort also aimed at supporting the government on providing service and care for Covid-19 suspected patients.
On the psychosocial program, MCCC has formed the Psychosocial Support Center named Layanan Dukungan Psikososial (LDP) which aimed at providing counseling service for the wider public. The service which can be accessed through Whatsapp mobile app provides 60 psychologists from various universities, institutions and individuals eager to offer the best care for the public.
Corona Rintawan, has been appointed as the Coordinating Chief of MCCC team. As a medical doctor himself, he highlighted on the obstacles faced so often by the MCCC team. One of them is the very limited stock of Personal Protective Equipment or Alat Pelindung Diri (APD) available for the doctors and other medical personnel dealing with Covid-19 patients. It is consisted of standard surgical masks, hand sanitizer, and the Hazmat Suits. Responding to the problem, MCCC collaborated with the local artisans to produce the Personal Protective Equipment.
“Our collleagues at the hospitals are seriously lacking of the Personal Protective Equipment. The MCCC struggles to provide it by engaging the small businesses. So far we’ve been cooperating with the local small businesses to produce the equipment that meet the standard set by Health Ministry,” he said.
Corona Rintawan continued that the procurement effort also carried out by engaging the overseas companies which aimed at speed up the availability of the equipment while waiting for the local small businesses to produce it. Besides, the MCCC also assessed that the availability of isolation rooms has been another issue to face.
“Some of us have to add, build and renovate the currently existing rooms and turn them into isolation rooms. For example PKU Muhammadiyah Gombong hospital has turned part of its building into care and isolation facility for patients.”
He also highlighted the possibility of increasing the number of refferal hospital prepared by Muhammadiyah as an effort on treating the Covid-19 patients. In the meantime Muhammadiyah is on its way on preparing the Covid-19 emergency hospital similar to the one that has been run in Wisma Atlet provided by the govenrnment.
MCCC also anticipate the availability of medical personnel just in case the high demand occur. Although he said that at the moment the number of medical personnel still meet the current needs.
“At the moment, the number of available medical personnel still meet our need. However sooner we’re about to mobilize the medical volunteer for helping us,” keeping in mind that this global pandemic wont be over anytime soon. The probability of this pandemic will take months or more, concerning him. “Theres a chance that more medical personnel will also be infected by the virus and we will fall short on providing the adequate number of medical professionals.”
So that, it is mandatory to strengthen the hospital personnel capacity, “What we said as capacity emergency by preparing the back up volunteers anticipating on the hospital personnel deficit, so that hopefully we wont go unprepared in a long run. Since the virus will infect indiscriminately, theres a chance that our people will be infected too which then requires them to be off duty. It is absolutely importent for us to be well prepared.” (ran/th)