*IF TOO MANY THINGS ARE ILLEGAL ...then ALL THE PROBLEMS that Indonesia has become NOTHING - but LEGAL TO BE ....( "THE SERIOUS PROBLEMS " ) ......*
On 7 October 2016 at 21:03, 'Sunny' [email protected] [GELORA45] < [email protected]> wrote: > > > http://www.globalpulsemagazine.com/news/illicit-drugs-a-dire-problem- > for-indonesias-health-system/3986 > > Illicit drugs a dire problem for Indonesia's health system Lack of proper > oversight is putting millions of people, especially the young at serious > risk. > Shinta Eka Puspasari, Jakarta > October 4, 2016 > Indonesia > > - > > [image: Illicit drugs a dire problem for Indonesia's health system] > > Regulated drugs/User:Sponge/Wikipedia > > Indonesia's business community is jumping into the health care business, > in response to a growing middle class that is increasingly keen to access > quality health services. > > Unfortunately, a lack of oversight at every level of the industry > encourages illicit practices, impacting everyone, particularly children. > > In June and September, consecutive revelations of syndicates producing and > circulating fake vaccines and medicine shocked the public. In both cases, > the culprits had allegedly run their illicit businesses for years, > targeting health care providers to prescribe their products for patients. > > Hundreds of thousands of children are believed to be at risk of > contracting diseases after receiving fake vaccines at health care > facilities nationwide. According to authorities, health facilities were > suspected of buying fake booster vaccines for hepatitis B, diphtheria, > whooping cough and tetanus. Dozens of people, including midwives and > doctors, were arrested. > > Health officials have said the sham vaccines were not harmful and made up > only 1 percent of total vaccines in Indonesia, and a re-vaccination plan > has been implemented in some areas. Nonetheless public trust in the health > system continues to erode. > > In September, after another doctor was implicated in fake drug > manufacturing, Indonesia Doctors Association (IDI) officials eschewed > responsibility and blamed regulations for failing to provide clear guidance > on whether a doctor can store and directly provide medication to patients. > IDI deputy chairman Daeng Faqih went further by demanding the government > expand the authority of doctors to improve public access to medicine. > > > > *Supply shortages* > > The problem is demand, according to hospitals and other health care > facilities implicated in counterfeit vaccine circulation. Rising income has > boosted the market for imported vaccines but availability of medication has > not increased quickly enough. > > A nurse at a Jakarta hospital told Concord Strategic, a risk consultancy, > that the hospital often only received five doses of Pediacel to last a > month. The vaccine for tetanus, produced by Canada's Sanofi Pasteur, is > among the most commonly forged vaccines. Such shortages provide > opportunities for perpetrators. > > Health officials and even President Joko Widodo have said that the fake > vaccines do not include harmful ingredients. However, while there are no > reports of serious illness or death from the use of the vaccines, they put > do children at risk. Safe and hygienic manufacture cannot be guaranteed, > and because they don't work they leave children exposed to crippling > diseases. > > > > *Counterfeit and expired drugs* > > Counterfeit drugs are sold not only through the internet but also at > pharmacies, where they are hard to detect because they look similar to the > genuine product. > > The trade in counterfeit medicine in Indonesia is lucrative. In 2012 > Widyaretna Buenastuti, chairwoman of the Indonesian Anti-Counterfeiting > Society (MIAP), estimated the value of the business as US$200 million a > year. Worldwide, turnover in counterfeit medicine reaches up to US$75 > billion annually. > > This month, large operations distributing counterfeit and expired > medicines were uncovered during separate raids in Banten and East Jakarta. > Around 42 million doses of counterfeit medicines worth around US$2.3 > million were seized during a raid at the Surya Balaraja warehouse complex > in Tangerang regency, Banten, while in East Jakarta a man was arrested for > allegedly distributing expired prescription medicines. > > > > *Health risks* > > The actual impact of consuming the counterfeit medicines is hard to gauge. > The government estimates that about 5,000 children out of 4.8 million > targeted for inoculation have been given fake vaccines this year, but here > have been no follow-up health tests on these children. > > According to the World Health Organization's 2012 National Health > Accounts, almost 15 percent of Indonesian children between one and three > years old are highly likely to miss their tetanus immunizations. This > number could be higher if fake vaccines are taken into account. > > The WHO report estimated that counterfeit drugs could account for over 30 > percent of all drugs in parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, compared > with less than 1 percent in the U.S. and Western Europe. > > > > *Reforming the national drug and food control agency* > > The fake vaccine scandal sparked panic and anger among Indonesian > families, who in July rallied outside hospitals demanding answers about > their children's health. At least one rally turned violent, when a mob of > furious patients punched and spat at a doctor, following an argument with > him at the Harapan Bunda Hospital in East Jakarta, one of 14 hospitals in > the capital reported to have used the fake vaccines. > > Revelations that the national drug and food control agency (BPOM) was > aware of the fake vaccine problem as early as 2013 only intensified public > anger. Little was done until a police investigation earlier this year > exposed the syndicate behind the fake vaccines. > > Widodo urged concerned parents to remain calm and give authorities time to > assess the scale of the problem. On July 15 the government ordered an > immediate overhaul of BPOM. To curb expired and counterfeit drug > circulation, the Health Ministry has proposed to take over distribution of > generic drugs and halt the operations of privately-owned pharmacies. > > It is doubtful that an overhaul of the BPOM will assuage the concerns of > parents whose children may have been exposed to deadly and easily > preventable diseases for years. > > The closure of private pharmacies also fails to address the main problem > of poor monitoring. Instead, it will deprive much of the public of > affordable medicine, as the ministry's capacity to distribute the drugs to > all levels of society remains in question. > > *The author* > > Shinta Eka Puspasari is an analyst with Jakarta-based Concord Security. > This piece was edited for length constraints. > > >
