Obstetrics an ocean away

HARYA NAROTTAMA (OGC 1999) ‘Assalammualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh’ - Greetings from Surabaya Indonesia.

My name is Harya Narottama. I am from Surabaya, Indonesia. I started at The Geelong College in 1997. I enjoyed studying at College, it gave me new experiences and perspectives during that time. When I was in Year 11, my father passed away. When I graduated from College in 1999, I wanted to continue my study in Australia, but I had to keep my mother company in Surabaya, so I enrolled at the Faculty of Medicine in Wijaya Kusuma University in Surabaya. After I graduated as a doctor in 2009, I worked in some clinics in Surabaya and continued my education to become a specialist at Airlangga University in 2010. I chose obstetrics and gynaecology because I saw what my father did as an obstetrician, and I liked it very much. Learning to become an obstetrician was a struggle for me, because it was more challenging than studying as a General Practitioner.

Like in many Asian countries, people who study medicine have to face seniority in the hospital, the culture of seniority is so strong in the Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) department. Two years before I graduated as an obstetrician, my mother died. Losing both of my parents, made me have a strong will to finish my education in the OBGYN department. Alhamdulillah (by the grace of God), finally I finished my specialty course as an obstetrician in 2016.

Since 2016, I have worked as an obstetrician in three different hospitals in three different towns: Surabaya, Gresik, and Sidoarjo. I am also a lecturer and teach my junior students in Wijaya Kusuma University. I teach obstetrics and gynecology on campus, and I am also the head of the OBGYN department at Wijaya Kusuma University.

During pandemic times, has been quite a difficult situation working as an obstetrician. Many pregnant women were exposed to COVID-19, and helping mothers delivering their babies in the COVID-19 situation is rather tiring. We have to wear protective equipment in small delivery ward. It is very hot especially in a place with hot weather like Indonesia!

In July 2021, the situation was worsening as there were increasing deaths of fellow doctors and nurses due to new variant of the Delta COVID-19 virus.

We lost four senior obstetricians, two of them were working in the same hospital and in the same town as I am.

I, too, caught COVID-19 and was forced into self isolation at home with my family. My wife and my daughters also contracted the illness, and it was horrible.

Fever, loss of sense of smell, and pain were the main symptoms we had. On the rare occassion I had to go out to buy some medicine, there were so many ambulances and hearse ambulances passing by. The sound of their sirens were quite spooky. In July 2021 alone, we lost about 300 mothers just in one month due to COVID-19 in East Java. With the Delta variant, pregnant women worsened very quickly. Many of them had to have caesareans to keep their babies alive. But often, after the delivery, the mothers’ health continued to worsen until they finally passed away. Children and husbands were left behind to care for the new babies. Some of the husbands posted on the internet, begging for milk donors for their babies.

In conclusion, what I have experienced as a student at The Geelong College, coming from an Asian country and learning something new in Australian culture, opened my mind to new perspectives, and I am very grateful for that. I am looking forward to coming to Australia again, and hopefully I can visit The Geelong College again for some nostalgic moments.

If God is willing, maybe my daughters will have the chance to become students at The Geelong College as well… who knows? I can only hope, that this pandemic will soon finally end, and that no more lives are to be taken due to COVID-19. I pray that all of you stay safe, stay healthy during this pandemic time.

Wassalammualaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh (May peace be upon you).

COVID-19 in Indonesia

Total cases: 4,250,000

Deaths: 144,000

Vaccination rate:

42.2%