Hospital Preparedness in Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic Based on the Command System: A Study in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Introduction:

Hospitals have had Hospital Disaster Plans (HDP), however, when the COVID-19 pandemic attacked, several hospitals neglected the HDP. They seem to find it difficult to operationalize HDP. The hospital’s problems were also increasingly complex because they must also think about how to break the internal transmission chain and how to deal with the surge in COVID-19 patients besides building a clear incident command system (ICS). This study aimed to carry out documentation and analyze hospital preparedness in dealing with COVID-19 based on the ICS.

Method:

This study was documentation research using a qualitative approach. All hospital preparations in "high case" areas in Jakarta and Yogyakarta from April to June 2020 were documented, followed by interviews and document observations. Furthermore, data were analyzed according to the ICS management functions; commander, secretary, operational, logistics, planning, and financial administration.

Results:

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals had developed a separate COVID-19 handling system from the existing HDP documents. The analysis showed the division of tasks and functions of each field in the COVID-19 Task Force already existed, but it had not been described in detail. The communication and procedure flow within the internal and external COVID-19 task force were generally only verbal. In conclusion, related to the readiness to face the surge in COVID-19 patients, the hospitals have not made any plans or supervision for handling COVID-19.

Conclusion:

Hospital preparedness in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic based on the Command System has not been maximized. The existing HDP only includes planning for natural disaster management. Furthermore, every health facility established the COVID-19 Task Force. However, the principle of division of tasks, communication, and planning flow in the Task Force still needs to be improved.