Indonesia's COVID-19 death rate continues to rise everyday posing a challenge to the country's healthcare industry. Silkina Ahluwalia/CGTN
The day Indonesia recorded its first two COVID-19 cases, Anas Ridwan knew he needed to act fast. Seeing how China, Singapore and other Asian countries were dealing with the outbreak at the time prompted him to come up with a plan.
"I tried not to anticipate for the worst but when the virus began to take over Jakarta, I saw people were panic buying medical equipment and the healthcare industry quickly faced shortages. The demand for body bags specifically began to increase and I wanted to help as much as I can," said Anas.
Anas transformed his business overnight from making rubber boats for recreational purposes to body bags and personal protective equipment for the healthcare industry.
Anas Ridwan, owner of an Indonesian business firm, switches his firm to making hundreds of body bags and personal protective equipment for medical staff across the country. Silkina Ahluwalia/CGTN
Indonesia continues to record hundreds of cases and several deaths per day, posing a huge challenge to the country's healthcare industry. With a population of 270 million people, the country only has around 300,000 hospital beds, a number that worries health experts across the nation.
Many regions outside of big cities are not equipped with proper equipment and quality doctors to deal with the influx of COVID-19 patients, and the Health Ministry has been vocal about the sector's challenges in dealing with the virus.
Small business owners like Anas contribute greatly to the health industry by producing local medical equipment. Previously, Indonesia received medical supplies, such as face masks, hazmat suits, gloves and test kits, from countries like China and South Korea.
Indonesia's Industry Ministry is facilitating 35 companies to manufacture at least 18 million pieces of medical equipment by the end of May. Silkina Ahluwalia/CGTN
"We use the same materials to make the body bags as we would the rubber boats. The material is thick, which makes it waterproof and airtight, so it's completely sterile," said Anas.
However, few challenges remain. As the Indonesian government tightens coronavirus restrictions in the country, the distribution of body bags and equipment has become much more challenging.
"Our main challenge is [not just] finding raw materials, but getting permission from officials is difficult too. I see the demand in the market is high but the government has strict regulations in regards to production and distribution, so logistically it's been tough," said Anas.
To continue meeting the health industry's demands, Indonesia's Industry Ministry is facilitating at least 35 local manufacturers to make 18 million pieces of protective equipment by the end of May. The say this will help ease the burden on Indonesia's healthcare sector in the coming weeks.