30.000 Masks and 2.000 Rapid Test Kit for PERSI

30.000 masks and 2.000 rapid test kits were received by Indonesian Hospital Association (PERSI) on Friday, 27 March 2020.

Tzu Chi Indonesia continues to provide medical assistance to hospitals and related agencies fighting the Covid-19 outbreak. Today on Friday, 27 March, there are 11 institutions who visit Tzu Chi Indonesia office to pick up masks. Among those institutions are RS Fatmawati, RS Husada, and RS Anna Medika. There were also a couple of Puskesmas (local health centers) from Penjaringan, Kelapa Gading, and Cilincing.

Tzu Chi Indonesia team prepared the documents for masks and rapid test kits assistance given to PERSI.

According to PERSI, to fight the Covid-19 pandemi, the most urgent thing to have is Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) since there are a lot of medics working directly with infected patients in the frontline. There are many hospitals lacking PPE, PERSI tried to gather some, one of which from Tzu Chi Indonesia.

On the one hand, Indonesian Hospital Association (PERSI) also received 30.000 masks and 2.000 rapid test kits from Tzu Chi Indonesia. PERSI is a body that supervises hospitals in Indonesia with 1.800 members.

"We from the Indonesian Hospital Association would like to thank you because this donation is really needed by hospitals and their personnel both medical and non-medical teams working in hospitals in Indonesia," said Dr. Grace Cielia, MKK, Chairperson of PERSI's Hospital Social Responsibility Compartment.

Dr. Grace Cielia, MKK, Chairperson of PERSI's Hospital Social Responsibility Compartment admitted to be very grateful for Tzu Chi Indonesia since not only masks, rapid test kits are also important to detect Covid-19 suspect patients.

This contribution, said Dr. Grace, will be distributed to hospitals that primarily handle patients who suspect Covid-19. From their own data, there are 37 hospitals which currently handle Covid-19 cases with a significant number of patients. PERSI itself has recorded the need for personal protective equipment for hospitals that handle Covid-19 patients. Dr. Grace herself never thought that Tzu Chi would be able to meet the high needs of those hospitals.

"Receiving such a large amount of donation, we are very grateful because right now it is very difficult to get this PPE. I myself was very surprised because Tzu Chi can give a large amount," said Dr. Grace gracefully.