Jakarta – The Indonesian Health Ministry has dispatched tens of thousands of health workers to flood-impacted areas in and around the country’s capital, Jakarta in anticipation of disease outbreaks after floods.
The ministry’s Secretary-General, Oscar Pribadi, said this on Tuesday in Jakarta.
The ministry has sent a total of 14,000 health workers to the disaster-hit areas as several diseases, such as diarrhea, ringworm, dengue fever and other ailments were likely to infect the residents after the waters submerged their houses,
“The health workers have undergone emergency relief efforts following the disasters. And the most important thing is that we anticipate the diseases will spread after the floods,” he said.
He said another task was for paramedics to ensure that the food supply for the evacuees has been complied with, the official said.
Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhajir Effendy, also disclosed that emergency relief had come from some ministries and government institutions, local media reported.
The floods, flash floods and landslides hitting Jakarta and its peripheral territories during New Year Eve, have left at least 67 people dead with nearly 400, 000 displaced.
(dpa/NAN)
