HARIAN EXPRESS, JAKARTA – The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) deployed 314 medical personnel on Saturday across Kalimantan to tackle a severe spike in respiratory cases caused by raging forest fires.
The Kementerian Kesehatan (Ministry of Health or Kemenkes) recorded a drastic increase in patients suffering from Infeksi Saluran Pernapasan Akut (Acute Respiratory Infection or ISPA) in several provinces. Thick smoke from kebakaran hutan dan lahan (forest and land fires or karhutla) heavily impacts these regions. Responding to this health emergency, the central government immediately mobilized hundreds of healthcare workers and distributed vital medical logistics to the disaster zones. This rapid deployment aims to provide immediate medical assistance to the affected communities.
Agus Jamaludin, the Head of the Health Crisis Center at the Ministry of Health, took strategic steps by dispatching specialized personnel. Agus ensured that the joint health team would focus primarily on treating residents experiencing severe respiratory disorders. Continuous exposure to thick toxic haze directly causes these serious health issues.
“As an effort to mitigate health impacts caused by forest and land fires, we have mobilized a total of 314 health workers consisting of doctors, nurses, midwives, and epidemiologists, with the main concentration in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan,” he said.
Based on internal data from the Ministry of Health as of August 21, 2026, respiratory disease cases in Central Kalimantan skyrocketed by 78.1 percent. The number of patients, which initially stood at 402 people, has now surged to 716 cases within just a single week. This alarming trend indicates a rapidly worsening air quality index that poses a direct threat to public health across the island.
Meanwhile, West Kalimantan has recorded 151 severe respiratory cases since the beginning of the year. The highest levels of severity hit the regions of Pontianak, Kubu Raya, and Mempawah. Similar hazardous conditions trigger severe asthma attacks and acute eye irritation, actively afflicting residents in the Riau and South Kalimantan regions.
The central government noted that seven provinces currently experience the most serious impacts from this widespread haze disaster. These heavily affected territories include Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan. In response to this escalating environmental crisis, six of these provinces already declared an emergency disaster alert status following a prolonged dry season that has persisted since the beginning of the year.
Local health agencies work around the clock to establish temporary oxygen therapy shelters and mobile clinics. These emergency health posts provide immediate relief for individuals suffering from severe shortness of breath. Health officials are actively accelerating the distribution of essential medical supplies, including oxygen cylinders, nebulizers, and specialized N95 masks, to anticipate further surges in patient numbers over the coming weeks.
Rampant forest and land fires (karhutla) repeatedly erupt during Indonesia’s dry season, largely driven by traditional slash-and-burn agricultural practices combined with extreme weather patterns. The resulting thick smog carries dangerous PM2.5 particulate matter that easily penetrates deep into human lungs. This toxic exposure severely exacerbates the risk of Acute Respiratory Infection (ISPA) and long-term cardiovascular issues among vulnerable populations, especially young children and the elderly.
Environmental agencies and local task forces also collaborate closely with military and police units to extinguish the active hotspots. They utilize water-bombing helicopters and ground patrols to fight the spreading flames. This collective effort focuses not only on putting out the fires but also on educating local communities regarding the severe legal and ecological consequences of burning land for agriculture.
Up to this point, the government has not received any official reports regarding fatalities directly resulting from the forest and land fires disaster. The Ministry of Health continuously urges all citizens residing in the affected areas to strictly limit their outdoor activities, close their windows to prevent smoke from entering homes, and consistently wear proper particulate-filtering masks to protect their respiratory tracts from the hazardous smog.
