When Indonesian doctor Ratih Purwarini was buried at dusk in a Jakarta cemetery, only her son Firos saw her plastic-wrapped coffin used for coronavirus victims lowered into the grave.
The rest of the family, instructed to keep a safe distance, watched the proceedings from afar: Firos standing alone by a mound of fresh earth wailing the Islamic call to prayer through his mask.
Two weeks before the healthy 46-year-old mother of two was laughing at a family outing in Bandung, a West Javan city by strawberry fields and volcanoes.
Now she is a number on a growing list, one of 26 Indonesian doctors killed by COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus.
“I regret asking her to go to medical school,” said Bambang Purnomo, her devastated 72-year-old father. “I honestly still cry whenever I think of her.”
A month after recording its first case, Indonesia, with 3,293 infections and 280 deaths, has the highest death toll in Asia after China, where the virus emerged late last year, although health experts fear it could be much higher.
The deaths of 26 doctors, and nine nurses, battling the pandemic in Indonesia, a sprawling developing nation of 260 million people, has fanned anxiety about a healthcare system ill-prepared to tackle it.
In Italy, where the tally of infections is nearing 140,000, 96 doctors have died. But there have been none among the 4,119 cases in Indonesia's southeast Asian neighbour of Malaysia.
"Indonesia was not well prepared at the beginning, and we also didn’t have much personal protective equipment (PPE)," said Prijo Sidipratomo of the Indonesian medical association. "That is why so many doctors have died."
Indonesia’s health ministry and coronavirus taskforce declined to comment on the doctors' deaths.
President Joko Widodo offered condolences and praised the dedication of the doctors who died. He announced financial incentives for medical professionals and payouts for the families of workers killed by the disease.
But Widodo has resisted strict lockdowns, instead urging Indonesians to adopt social distancing measures and stay home.
"The country was already exposed to the virus, but no one realised until March," Sidipratomo added. "The president was not aggressive and the health minister was saying it was going to be okay."
Now the world’s fourth-most populous nation is racing against time to contain the spread.
Hospitals across the archipelago are chronically ill-equipped, lacking beds, medical staff and intensive care facilities, forcing some doctors to fashion makeshift gear, using raincoats and their own masks.
"The government has asked all industries to make PPE in Indonesia, but now we are competing with the virus itself," said Sidipratomo. "The virus is faster than us. So I guess we are in trouble."
The government needs to act fast, especially outside the capital, said Adib Khumaidi, the deputy chief of the Indonesian doctors' association.
"Jakarta has a lot of doctors, but what if this happens in Sulawesi, Ambon, Maluku and Papua?" he added, naming some of Indonesia's far-flung regions. "It will be a big problem.”
SUCCUMBED WITHIN A WEEK
The first doctor in her family, Purwarini was head of human resources at a North Jakarta hospital, but she started treating patients when the outbreak hit.
After a worrying X-ray, Purwarini checked herself into hospital, said her father, a retired civil servant. As her condition worsened, she was moved to a different hospital that provided a ventilator, but succumbed within a week.
The deaths of the doctors and nurses have turned the virus response into a sore point for Indonesian medical professionals.
"Together, we talk and we think there is no other thing to do than a lockdown," said Sidipratomo.
After his daughter's death, Purnomo is also grappling with the realities of the pandemic.
"I have cars and a house," he said, clinging to a framed photograph of his firstborn, "But that has no meaning if my daughter has passed away."
Reuters
Fri Apr 10 2020
Ratih Purwarini, a doctor who passed away due to COVID-19, is pictured at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, August 28, 2011, in this handout photo obtained by Reuters on April 10, 2020. Courtesy of Bambang Purnomo Sidik's Family/Handout via REUTERS
Israel musnahkan lintasan Rafah, jejaskan 1.5 juta penduduk Gaza
Rejim Zionis Israel kini sudah mula memusnahkan lintasan Rafah seterusnya menjejaskan kira-kira 1.5 juta penduduk Gaza yang berlindung di kawasan terbabit.
Mahkamah benar Muhyiddin dapat pasport lawat keluarga yang sakit di Australia
Hakim Azura Alwi membuat keputusan itu susulan permohonan peguam bela Muhyiddin, Datuk Hisyam Teh Poh Teik yang tidak dibantah Timbalan Pendakwa Raya, Nor Asma Ahmad.
Nasib Ten Hag selepas final Piala FA
Manchester United tidak akan memecat Erik ten Hag sebelum perlawanan akhir Piala FA bulan ini.
Mentaliti FOMO, YOLO jerat belia jatuh bankrap
Antara lain tambah Ketua, Jabatan Pembangunan Penyelidikan, AKPK, Mohammd Mafrukhin Mokhtar penyebab belia cenderung berbelanja di luar kemampuan adalah disebabkan faktor tekanan.
Persediaan sambut jemaah pertama Malaysia di Madinah
Pelbagai program diatur untuk kumpulan pertama jemaah haji Malaysia yang akan tiba di Madinah pada 9 Mei ini. Antaranya ditempatkan di tiga buah hotel mengikut zon selain rancangan untuk ziarah luar di beberapa lokasi terpilih.
#MetGala: Busana kerajang timah, rambut pendek Michelle Yeoh jadi perhatian
Michelle berkata busana itu adalah ilham daripada pereka kreatif jenama Balenciaga iaitu Demna yang diinspirasi daripada kenangan zaman kanak-kanaknya.
Masih ada harapan bantu miskin bandar - Pakar
Felo Kehormat Institut Masa Depan Malaysia, Datuk Dr Madeline Berma berpendapat ia masih suatu isu yang serius dan perlu ditangani segera.
Namun ia masih menunjukkan perkembangan positif, dan masih ada harapan untuk Malaysia menangani isu tersebut.
Namun ia masih menunjukkan perkembangan positif, dan masih ada harapan untuk Malaysia menangani isu tersebut.
Pantau Belanjawan: Ulasan Kajian UNICEF | Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan – Tangani miskin bandar KL
Terengganu adakan solat sunat Istisqa di seluruh masjid Jumaat ini
Terengganu adakan solat sunat Istisqa di seluruh masjid Jumaat ini
Kini anda boleh tambah kad Maybank pada Google Wallet
Maybank dilihat menyokong kad Visa dan Mastercard kedua-dua debit dan kredit untuk ditambah pada Google Pay.
COVID-19: Tiga kes kematian dicatat, ini lima tumpuan kenyataan media KKM
Terdapat 108 kes positif COVID-19 yang sedang dirawat di Unit Rawatan Rapi (ICU), di mana 47 kes memerlukan bantuan pernafasan.
Sultan Perak, Sultan Selangor, Sultan Johor antara yang hadir ke Istana Negara
Pertemuan itu dijangka bagi membincangkan beberapa cadangan yang dipersembahkan oleh kerajaan terutamanya mengenai penularan COVID-19.
Pusat Jagaan Darul Hanan ambil langkah pengasingan penghuni, pekerja
Difahamkan seorang wanita warga emas yang baru masuk ke situ minggu lepas disahkan COVID-19 kelmarin.
COVID-19: Tiga lagi sekolah di Perak diarah tutup
Sebanyak tiga sekolah di Perak diarah tutup selama tujuh hari mulai hari ini selepas terdapat jangkitan wabak COVID-19 dalam kalangan pelajar di sekolah berkenaan.
Kluster Penjara Jawi: Seorang lagi pegawai penjara positif COVID-19
Pegawai wadar itu bertugas di blok baharu yang menjaga sekumpulan banduan yang dijangkiti COVID-19 sebelum ini.
SMK Lubuk China dan SK Telok Berembang di Melaka diarah tutup
Dua buah sekolah di Masjid Tanah, Melaka diarah tutup selepas seorang pelajar dari kedua-dua sekolah berkenaan disahkan positif COVID-19.
Cawangan utama BSN Kota Kinabalu ditutup, kakitangan positif COVID-19
Cawangan BSN ditutup bermula hari ini bagi melaksanakan kerja-kerja pembersihan menyeluruh.
Jepun tarik balik larangan perjalanan ke Malaysia, 11 negara lain
Sebelas negara lain termasuk China, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapura dan Korea Selatan.
Maaflah jika Abah ini mula menggunakan rotan! - Muhyiddin
Katanya, selepas ini hukuman kompaun akan dikenakan tanpa mengira pangkat dan darjat terhadap mereka yang melanggar prosedur operasi standard (SOP) berkaitan COVID-19.
COVID-19: 691 kes baharu dilaporkan, majoriti di Penjara Alor Setar
Jumlah kes baharu positif COVID-19 yang dilaporkan hari ini ialah sebanyak 691.