Seeming to Run out of Destinations
Over the last three weeks, almost every day, Ari and his colleagues have taken residents who were exposed to COVID-19 to the hospital. During that time, he has struggled to find isolation rooms at five hospitals.
Ari Budiman, 45, drove an ambulance from Tenjolaya village, West Bandung, West Java, bringing a resident who had COVID-19 to the Soreang Regional General Hospital (RSUD) on Friday afternoon on June 11. As soon as he was informed that there were no available beds at Soreang Hospital, he drove to the Unggul Karsa Media Hospital, which was also unable to accommodate any more patients.
The journey of the head of the welfare section of the Tenjolaya village administration to try to find hospital ended at A Rontisulu Lung Hospital at 11:30 p.m. “In the emergency room, you still had to queue. The patient finally got a room at 4 a.m.," said Ari on Tuesday.