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The Bali Provincial Health Service confirmed that as of February 13, some 1,188 COVID-19 positive patients, or 6.02 percent of the total positive confirmed cases in the area, were treated at several referral hospitals.

“The number of active cases on February 13 totalled 19,743. Apart from being treated at various referral hospitals, the majority of 17,629 (89.29 percent) patients underwent self-isolation,” Acting Head of the Bali Provincial Health Service Made Rentin noted on Monday.

He later remarked that the other 926 patients, or 4.69 percent, were treated in a centralized isolation area readied by the Bali provincial government and local district and city governments.

“Patients treated at referral hospitals experienced moderate to severe symptoms. Meanwhile, patients with mild symptoms opted to conduct self-isolation or were being treated in a centralized isolation area,” he stated.

Rentin, concurrently secretary of the Bali Province COVID-19 Handling Task Force, stated that currently, there were 30 centralized isolation places, with a total of 1,946 beds.

“Some 926 beds at centralized isolation places had been occupied, while 1,020 beds were still available,” Rentin remarked.

The task force secretary noted that of the nine districts and cities in Bali, only one district, Bangli, was included in the Yellow Zone, or low risk, for COVID-19 transmission.

Meanwhile, the other eight districts and cities — Denpasar City, Badung District, Tabanan, Gianyar, Klungkung, Karangasem, Jembrana, and Buleleng — are included in the Orange Zone, or moderate risk, for COVID-19 transmission.

Amid the surge in cases of the Omicron variant, with over a thousand per day, the Bali Provincial Health Service reminded the community to implement health protocols and urged the unvaccinated populace to receive the COVID-19 vaccination without further ado.

“Even if you are already vaccinated, you must comply with the health protocols,” Rentin stressed.

The task force secretary drew emphasis on the importance of health protocols to protect the community, prevent the emergence of new variants, curb the spread of COVID-19, and keep hospitals and health workers safe.

Source: Antara News

Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono encouraged professional health organizations to ramp up the provision of Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment (TPT) service to eradicate the disease in Indonesia.

“To overcome the low coverage of TPT service, I expect all parties, including members of professional health organizations, to support and participate in disseminating information regarding the importance of TPT to members of the public,” he noted in a written statement received here on Monday.

The deputy minister assessed that the TPT service is one of the crucial steps to eliminate tuberculosis in Indonesia by 2030.

Meanwhile, the aforementioned professional health organizations include the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI), the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the Indonesian Pulmonologist Association (PDPI), the Indonesian Internist Association (PAPDI), as well as the Indonesian Radiologist Association (PDSRI).

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) Global Tuberculosis Report 2021, Indonesia is the country with the third-highest tuberculosis burden.

The number of new tuberculosis cases in 2020 was estimated to have reached 824 thousand, with 93 thousand deaths — equivalent to 11 fatalities per hour.

Furthermore, it was found out that some people infected with the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria did not experience any symptoms of the disease. The condition is known as latent tuberculosis infection (ILTB).

ILTB is a condition wherein the immune system of an infected person cannot completely eliminate the bacteria from the body. However, the system is able to control growth of the bacteria, so the person does not show any symptoms of the disease.

People with the condition, especially those in the vulnerable groups, must be offered the TPT service to prevent the infection from turning into a disease.

The aforementioned vulnerable groups comprise people living with tuberculosis patients in the same house, or household contacts, and those living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (PLHIV).

According to the Health Ministry’s data in 2021, the coverage of TPT service for PLHIV only reached five percent, while the TPT service coverage for household contacts was only 0.2 percent.

The achievement is far from the national TPT service coverage target, which is 40 percent for PLHIV and 29 percent for household contacts.

Source: Antara News

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred a massive increase in the digitalization of financial transactions over the past two years, chairperson of the Indonesian Banks Association (Perbanas), Kartika Wirjoatmodjo, has said.

“We perceive the pandemic from a different standpoint because we see the massive surge in the adoption of digital technology in financial transactions for the last two years,” he stated at the G20 side event on ‘Digital Payment Innovation of Banking’ in Jakarta on Monday.

While the adoption of digital technology in financial transactions increased steadily from 2015 to 2019, the process saw record acceleration in the past two years due to the pandemic, he noted.

The advances in digital technologies have posed a new challenge for the banking sector, which must adapt constantly to ensure it remains a key player in the industry, the chairperson remarked.

The banking sector must abandon its old business model and promptly adopt a digital-friendly business model that would cater to technological changes, Wirjoatmodjo said.

The banking sector must also consider the future of ATMs, their risk, and their relevance amid the current surge in the digitization of financial transactions, he added.

“We need to consider whether the machine will become an advantage in our competition or is it merely an industry commodity?” Wirjoatmodjo remarked.

People have begun switching from their earlier preferred payment methods of direct transfers, debit cards, or credit cards, to the digital payment system, the chairperson highlighted.

Such trends are appropriate as people will always prefer quicker, easier, and more convenient payment methods, he opined. Hence, the banking sector must follow customers’ preferences and expand digital transactions, he added.

“Customers are the most advantaged by these changes because they now have more choice of payment methods that they can use in their daily activities,” Wirjoatmodjo remarked.

Source: Antara News

Head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), Dr. Hasto Wardoyo, Sp.OG. (K), has advised all families to carefully plan pregnancies to help prevent childhood stunting.

Families must plan pregnancies using the Family Planning (KB) program, he said. This would allow parents to space children and have time to prepare for meeting their needs from pregnancy till birth, including the nutritional needs for children, he explained.

“Therefore, couples of childbearing age are expected to get sufficient information and socialization of the benefits and importance of using family planning,” Wardoyo said.

The use of contraceptives is expected to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies (KTD), maternal mortality rate (AKI), and infant mortality rate (IMR), he highlighted.

Family planning with the help of modern contraceptives is important for preventing stunting in the nation’s next generation, Wardoyo added.

In the last five years, the proportion of married women who are not participating in the KB program has consistently increased, he noted. Based on data from the National Socio-Economic Survey (Susenas), the number of married women who did not participate in the Family Planning program increased to 31.2 percent or 15.37 million women in 2020, he said.

One reason for this was the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a decline in the capacity of reproductive health services at various health facilities, thereby limiting public access to contraceptives, he added.

This phenomenon raised the number of unwanted pregnancies in the country, he said. According to the BKKBN, the decline in the use of contraceptives among the community had an impact in the form of 500 thousand unwanted pregnancies in 2021, he added.

A high rate of unwanted pregnancies can pose several risks for women, including depression, anxiety disorders, high stress levels, and stunting in infants, he said. It can also contribute to maternal and infant mortality, he added.

Meanwhile, chairwoman of the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI), Dr. Emi Nurjasmi, M.Kes, said the pandemic has contributed significantly to the decline in contraceptive use, thereby increasing the number of pregnancies and births.

This has raised new challenges for midwives in terms of providing qualified information and counseling regarding the importance of family planning for couples of childbearing age, she added.

“Together with other related stakeholders, we will continue to encourage the implementation of the Family Planning program. In this case, condoms can be an option for contraception that can be used by couples of childbearing age,” she informed.

Source: Antara News

Religious Affairs Ministry’s Halal Product Assurance Agency (BPJPH) will immediately issue halal certification for Merah Putih vaccine following MUI Food and Drug Analysis Agency’s (LPPOM MUI’s) product audit and MUI’s Fatwa Commission’s halal products’ determination.

“We will immediately issue halal certification for the Merah Putih vaccine by PT Biotis Pharmaceuticals Indonesia,” BPJPH Head Aqil Irham noted in a written statement received here, Monday.

Irham later remarked that the issuance of a halal certificate is the final phase of the halal certification process.

Based on Law Number 33 of 2014 and Government Regulation Number 39 of 2021, halal certificates are issued by BPJPH after going through several stages, including product audits by the Halal Inspection Agency (LPH) and the determination of halal products by the MUI Fatwa Commission.

The Merah Putih Vaccine has been determined as a halal product through the MUI fatwa session on February 7, 2022. Meanwhile, LPPOM MUI, as the LPH, has conducted an audit of the Merah Putih vaccine on January 14.

In issuing halal certificate for a product, BPJPH worked along with the Halal Inspection Agency (LPH) and MUI. Irham noted that Indonesia currently had three LPHs: LPPOM MUI, LPH Sucofindo, and LPH Surveyor Indonesia.

In addition to the three LPHs, nine new LPH candidates are currently in the accreditation process as halal inspectors.

“LPH will conduct an audit of product halal compliance, while MUI conducts a halal fatwa trial if the product has been audited by LPH. The results of the fatwa trial are submitted to BPJPH to issue a halal certificate,” he noted.

Irham remarked that the BPJPH, LPH, and MUI were working as one unit for the process of halal certification services. The three of them form relationships in halal certification services in Indonesia while each of them had different authorities and would not interfere with each other.

Meanwhile, Head of the Halal Registration and Certification Mastuki stated that PT Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia had registered the halal certification process for the Merah Putih Vaccine with the BPJPH on November 25, 2021.

“The name of the product registered with the Merah Putih Vaccine is UA SARS-CoV-2 (Vero Cell) Inactivated. After verification by BPJPH officers, the product will be audited by LPPOM MUI. The audit process will be completed on February 6, 2022,” Mastuki explained.

After being audited by LPPOM, the MUI will hold a fatwa session on February 7, 2022, and later issue a halal determination.

Currently, the halal stipulation by the MUI is in the process of being uploaded on to the BPJPH Halal Information System (Sihalal).

“If the audit result from LPH and the halal provisions have been uploaded by the MUI, BPJPH will immediately issue a halal certificate for the Merah Putih Vaccine,” he noted.

Source: Antara News

Men can play a role in reducing maternal mortality by using contraception, chairwoman of the Indonesian Midwives Association (IBI) Emi Nurjasmi has emphasized.

“We ask men to participate in planning pregnancies by using one of the modern contraceptives. It is very necessary, so cooperation between mothers and fathers is needed,” Nurjasmi said on Monday.

Responding to the low use of contraception, she said that the Family Planning (KB) Program is one of the important pillars that can help suppress maternal mortality.

With fathers supporting mothers in family planning, families can better plan pregnancies and maintain a fetus’ optimal growth and development so babies are born healthy and not stunted, she added.

Pregnancy planning can be done through the use of contraceptives such as implants or IUDs (intrauterine devices), she said.

“Also for postpartum family planning, we will provide Antenatal Care (ANC) education after giving birth. We hope that families will immediately choose one of the long-term contraception,” Nurjasmi remarked.

In case a mother is not able to use contraceptives after giving birth, IBI is willing to provide education, such as on the use of condoms, which will require the participation of fathers to suppress the emergence of unwanted births, she said.

Men’s decision to use contraception will help make families healthy and happy. It can also help prevent risks that can affect the safety of mothers and babies, she added.

She also appealed to all midwives to provide education to the public, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic through various applications.

Source: Antara News