JAYAPURA - The management of the Jayapura Regional General Hospital (RSUD) ensures that health services for malaria patients and others, continue to run normally even though the availability of injectable drugs for the disease is empty for almost a month.

"There are still oral malaria medicine drugs, then there are also specialist doctors who will directly serve patients and even laboratory examinations, overall everything is running normally," explained the Director of Jayapura Regional Hospital, Anton Mote in Jayapura, Wednesday (13/7/2022).

Anton explained that malaria is the third most common disease handled by the Jayapura Regional Hospital. There are 50 -100 malaria patients referred to the hospital on average in a day.

"Malaria patients at Jayapura Regional Hospital are quite high. There have been patients who have died from malaria illness accompanied by complications of other diseases. Malaria may improve quickly, but it needs to be treated quickly and appropriately," he said.

It is known that the availability of malaria injectable drugs or Artesunate at the Jayapura Regional Hospital is now experiencing a vacuum. Malaria medicine, Artesunate, has been unavailable or empty since three weeks ago.

"This artesunate is administered by infusion to severe malaria patients. Because the stock is empty, we use oral malaria drugs first," he explained.

Regarding this condition, Anton stated that he had tried to contact the pharmaceutical vendor and distributor from Kimia Farma. It is estimated that Artesunate malaria drug will only be available in the next 1 or 2 weeks.

"Nationally this drug is indeed empty. We have built communication with vendors and distributors. We hope that this drug can be available again soon," he said. ***