Faculty of Engineering (FT) of UGM distributed hand washers and face shields to 30 health centers in Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta. These hand washing equipment and protective equipment are products developed by the UGM FT team. The coordinator for community service activities at FT UGM, Dr. Jayan Sentanuhady, said that they chose public health centers in Gunungkidul because many non-formal workers in this area have a high level of mobility, especially from Jakarta and other big cities. “We will focus this assistance on Gunungkidul first,” said Jayan to reporters on Wednesday (7/7).
Jayan said that this project had started in mid-2020 by distributing 30 manual hand washers and 600 face shields to 30 health centers. According to him, the hand-washer equipment can inhibit the spread of the Covid-19 virus in the environment where the health center is located. The face shield designed for medical personnel aims to protect health workers from the transmission of the Covid-19 virus.
Deputy Dean for Research, Community Service and Cooperation, FT UGM, Dr. Sugeng Sapto Surjono said this service activity is FT UGM’s contribution to support the prevention of the spread of the Covid-19 virus. “We give encouragement that medical personnel are not alone, and we also participate together by eradicating the Covid-19 virus,” he explained.
According to Sugeng, the UGM Faculty of Engineering also helped the government tackle the Covid-19 pandemic by producing various innovative medical devices needed by the community. “Various researches were carried out to produce tools that function to suppress the rate of the pandemic, as well as to help health workers and Covid-19 patients,” he said.
Several health centers in Gunungkidul that received hand-washer assistance include Tepus Health Center I, Semanu Health Center, Wonosari II Health Center, Ponjong II Health Center, Karangmojo Health Center I, and Playen II Health Center. With the portable hand-washers, it is hoped that everyone who comes to the health centers can easily wash their hands to prevent transmission of the virus.
