The Ethical Perspective of Medical Personnel on the Crisis of Personal Protective Equipment at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic [Raboan Discussion Forum]

Wednesday (09/11), the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities again held the Raboan Discussion Forum. The topic discussed at this event was the Ethical Perspective of Medical Personnel on the Crisis of Personal Protective Equipment at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dr explained this topic. Paramita Sari M.Sc, Lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Nahdalatul Ulama University in Surabaya and also an Alumni of the UGM Bioethics Masters Study Program. Meanwhile, acting as moderator is Desy Putri Ratnasari, S.Si, M.Si.

The Covid-19 pandemic in Hubei, China, spread quickly and resulted in high morbidity and mortality rates. According to Dr. Paramita, this is a new challenge for medical personnel, especially at the forefront of health facilities. Health systems in various countries, including Indonesia, are not ready to face the Covid-19 Pandemic.

At the beginning of the spread of Covid-19, medical workers faced the problem of a shortage of logistics for personal protective equipment (PPE) even though tools such as masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, and so on are urgently needed so that health workers are not infected with Covid-19.

“Covid-19 spreads rapidly with high morbidity and mortality rates, while the readiness of personal protective equipment at the start of the pandemic was not close and is said to be in a crisis condition.” Dr. Paramita said.

Many ethical dilemmas were faced by medical personnel at that time. Medical personnel should save patients during a crisis for personal protective equipment. Limited personal protective equipment makes the risk of contracting Covid-19 even higher.

Even though the principle is that medical personnel must save themselves before helping others. Before meeting the patient, personal protective equipment is a mandatory requirement to help patients who need help and care.