11 May 2020
PT Freeport Indonesia continues to bolster its health protection system for employees and the community in order to deal with the COVID–19 pandemic, by increasing the number of rapid tests and adding to the capacity of its Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing, along with expanding its medical staff and increasing its isolation centers.
PTFI President Director Tony Wenas who was reached from Timika on Monday asserted the health and safety of all employees was the top priority of the company, which is engaged in the mining of gold, copper and silver minerals in Mimika Regency, Papua Province.
"We have been, and continue to be working tirelessly together with International SOS and coordinating closely with the government to provide the best medical attention in our capacity, in accordance with global COVID-19 mitigation procedures. We are thankful that our handling of COVID-19 patients is showing favorable results, with more and more employees almost completely recovered,” Tony said.
In order to maintain the health and safety of more than 25,000 of its employees and those of its contractors, PTFI medical services providers have expanded, and continue to expand their testing reach to identify positive cases more quickly and carry out tracing efforts to deter the virus’s spread.
Currently, PCR testing equipment and around 50,000 rapid test units are available in the operating area, allowing PTFI to speedily detect and isolate those infected, provide the necessary medical treatment, and take appropriate mitigation steps.
Increasing the testing capacity is adding to mitigation measures that were previously made, such as taking the temperatures of employees, imposing physical distancing, placing restrictions on traveling, heightening sanitation efforts, and banning gatherings in large numbers.
PTFI has also increased COVID–19 treatment capacity in the operation area, among others by adding treatment wards and isolation rooms in RS Tembagapura hospital, along with ventilators for those needing them.
Kuala Kencana Clinic is also being readied to provide inpatient treatment and will soon obtain certification for an RT-PCR testing laboratory to confirm COVID-19 diagnoses.
“We will be working together with the Mimika Regency government to have test results analyzed at the Kuala Kencana Clinic laboratory, and no longer at the Jayapura Regional Health Laboratory. This will help us to deal with COVID–19 more expeditiously, with expanded testing capacity to protect the health and safety of more members of the community, and reduce the load on public health institutions,” Tony said.
To house patients under surveillance (PDP) and asymptomatic (OTG) patients who need to be isolated, PTFI has increased the number of isolation facilities, and they now can hold more than 750 patients in Tembagapura and 150 in the lowland (Mile 38) area.
This includes the dormitory in Mimika Sport Complex, which in these times of the pandemic has been repurposed by Mimika Regency’s Health Office as an isolation facility for Timika residents.
It is hoped that these measures will allow the general hospital (RSUD) to better concentrate on handling patients who are truly in need of special medical attention.
Tony said the company has assisted and will continue to assist the local community through provision of foodstuffs for local indigenous residents, transporting Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) cargo to Papua, and funding various other measures through social institutions.
To date, this assistance for prevention and mitigation measures totals more than Rp 17 billion.
“Our primary priority and focus remains the health and safety of employees, along with their families and surrounding communities. Amid this continually developing situation, our teams are constantly evaluating and implementing more measures to ensure their safety and assist in mitigating the spread of COVID–19,” he said.
International SOS Chief Medical Officer, dr Darma Irawan says the numbers of health facilities and medical workers in Tembagapura and Kuala Kencana suffice to deal with the various scenarios readied. "However, just in case, we have increased, and will continue to increase the numbers of medical staff and other supporting health facilities,” Darma said.
Kami menghimbau para pencari kerja untuk berhati-hati dan mewaspadai beragam modus penipuan perekrutan yang mengatasnamakan PT Freeport Indonesia. Dalam setiap proses rekrutmen dan penerimaan karyawan, PT Freeport Indonesia maupun konsultan rekruitmennya tidak memungut biaya apapun.
Untuk melihat lowongan, silakan akses melalui link berikut: ptfi e-recruitment
Untuk melihat informasi magang, silakan akses melalui link berikut: Internship Program
