Corruption kills<\/p>\n
Corruption reared its ugly head in Indonesia once again this
\nweek. And sadly, the reaction, both from the public and
\ngovernment, was one of indifference, even if it caused deaths.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Health Consumer Empowerment Foundation said in
\na report that up to half of all subsidized medicines, including
\ndonations from foreign governments intended for the poor, had
\nfound their way onto the black market, earning hefty profits,
\nneedless to say.<\/p>\n
The consumer group based its claim on the large number of
\nmedicines, many of which still carried the official government
\nlabel denoting their origins, found at major markets in the
\ncapital. The sites they surveyed included those well-known as
\nblack markets for pharmaceutical products, such as Pramuka,
\nGlodok, Blok M, Senen, Kramat Jati, Benhil and Rawa Bening.<\/p>\n
What really disturbs us the most is that the report came amid
\ncomplaints from thousands of poor people about lack of access to
\ninexpensive drugs to treat the various diseases in the aftermath
\nof the major flood disaster in Jakarta. There have even been
\nreports of deaths because patients, including children, were not
\ntreated promptly for lack of medicine.<\/p>\n
If the report by the consumer agency is true -- 50 percent of
\nall subsidized medicines seems a bit high, but then this is
\nIndonesia, where anything is possible -- we can see a link
\nbetween the shortage of medicines that many poor people are
\ncomplaining about on the one hand, and the presence of many
\ngovernment-subsidized medicines on the black market on the other.<\/p>\n
The report itself makes appalling reading, but the
\ngovernment's response -- or lack of it -- is deplorable. Such
\nindifference to reports of embezzlement has become all too
\nfamiliar in this country. When Minister of Health Sujudi was
\nconfronted with the issue during a legislative hearing, he was
\ndismissive, promising that the matter would be investigated, and
\nlet the matter rest.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, if past official promises are anything to go
\nby, usually that is exactly what will happen: The matter will be
\nput to rest, there will not be any meaningful investigation and
\nthe practice will continue.<\/p>\n
The response by the Jakarta Health Agency was typical. It
\nconcluded that the consumer group's report was unsubstantiated
\nafter checking on a list of medicines at a single community
\nhealth center in the Tanah Abang district in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Surely, an allegation as serious as this, and with such dire
\nconsequences, deserves a thorough investigation? The least the
\ngovernment should do is to conduct random inspections of
\ncommunity health centers, and of the markets that reportedly sell
\nthese subsidized medicines.<\/p>\n
Such indifference either suggests complacency, or worse, a
\ncover-up attempt. What is certain is that the profiteers at the
\nblack markets could not have had access to the subsidized
\nmedicines without the help of insiders. How far or how high up,
\nare the officials involved in this scam is for the authorities to
\ndiscover. Being dismissive is not going to help. It is probably
\nhigh time for the police to take over the investigation from the
\nministry.<\/p>\n
Corruption, as we all know too well, is never a win-win game.
\nOne person's gain is almost always someone else's loss. In the
\ncase of the government-subsidized medicines, the profit raked in
\nby the profiteers, including the officials involved, comes at the
\nexpense of poor people. Thousands of people have been deprived of
\naccess to inexpensive drugs precisely because of these corrupt
\npractices.<\/p>\n
Looking at the official and public indifference to the report,
\nthis country seems to have completely resigned itself to the
\nwidespread practice of corruption. Nearly four years have elapsed
\nsince Indonesia ushered in the reform era, in which the
\neradication of corruption was one of the main goals of reform;
\nyet the country seems to have gone back to the old norms and
\npractices.<\/p>\n
The campaign against corruption, collusion and nepotism,
\nreferred to by the Indonesian acronym KKN, has remained but a
\nchimera throughout all three administrations we have had since
\n1998. It is really amazing to note how we as a nation have
\nquickly forgotten that it was KKN that brought this nation to its
\nknees, and it is also the thing that is hampering the recovery
\nprocess.<\/p>\n
In China and Vietnam, two Asian countries that have had
\nserious problems of corruption, they have begun executing
\ncorruptors for their misdeeds in order to deter others from doing
\nthe same. In this country, corruption continues unabated, even,
\nas in the case of subsidized medicines, it kills people, either
\ndirectly or indirectly. We can only wish that some day these
\ncorruptors will get a taste of their own medicine.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/corruption-kills-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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