Jakarta (Indonesia Window) – The Executive Board of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) has noted that 751 doctors died due to COVID-19 during the pandemic.

At the inauguration of the Indonesian Doctors Service Monument here on Thursday (March 17), Chairman of the IDI Executive Board Daeng M Faqih said the number of medical personnel involved in handling COVID-19 was very large, with more than 3,000 people serving at Jakarta’s Wisma Atlet (athletes’ guest house), which serves as an emergency hospital for COVID-19 patients, alone.

Daeng said the association built the Indonesian Doctors Service Monument at the courtyard of the IDI’s headquarters in Central Jakarta aimed at commemorating the services of the doctors who died while on duty during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The purpose of this monument is to appreciate and thank the warriors of COVID-19 doctors. We want to continue their spirits, to inspire doctors to carry on to serve people," he said.

In order to reduce the death rate of doctors during the pandemic, he said, the IDI Executive Board, among others, has made safety guidelines on health treatment.

The manual contains information on preventing transmission of the coronavirus as well as guidelines for taking care of COVID-19 patients.

In addition to making manuals, the IDI Executive Task Force coordinates with the government to meet the need for personal protective equipment for doctors on duty and to prioritize health workers in COVID-19 vaccination activities.

Daeng said that those steps have been able to reduce the death toll among doctors and health workers from COVID-19.

During the Omicron variant outbreak, he noted that the doctor mortality rate decreased.

Reporting by Indonesia Window