Just pricing urged for intravenous plasma<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The City Council appealed to hospitals and
\npharmaceutical companies yesterday to keep the price of
\nintravenous plasma at an affordable level amid worries about the
\ncontinuing dengue fever epidemic.<\/p>\n
Soeparmo, head of Commission E for social welfare, urged
\nhospitals and pharmaceutical firms not to seek too much profit in
\ntime of economic crisis when most people's income was barely
\nenough to buy basic essentials.<\/p>\n
\"We know that they have the right to make a profit. But please
\ndon't make too much profit, especially during this time of crisis
\nwhen people are in economic trouble,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He said the Ministry of Health had set standard prices for
\nintravenous plasma and that pharmaceutical companies and
\nhospitals should comply with these.<\/p>\n
Intravenous plasma most commonly used on dengue patients in
\nthe city is called RL, or Ringer Lactat. It is available only in
\ncertain pharmacies.<\/p>\n
These will prioritize the hospitals they are associated with.
\nSaint Carolus Hospital's pharmacy sells a 500cc bottle of RL
\nplasma for Rp 5,700 (71 U.S. cents) and the Indonesian Christian
\nUniversity for Rp 5,900.<\/p>\n
An attendant at the Pelni Hospital's pharmacy said patients
\nfrom other hospitals could buy less than 10 bottles of plasma for
\nRp 4,600 each. An employee at the Fatmawati Hospital's pharmacy
\nsaid they had plenty of plasma available for patients from other
\nhospitals at Rp 6,500 a bottle.<\/p>\n
According to a doctor at the Fatmawati hospital's center for
\ndengue fever control, RL plasma is the first treatment to be
\ngiven to the dengue fever patients on their arrival at the
\nhospital.<\/p>\n
\"A patient's demand for intravenous liquid varies depending on
\nthe stage of the illness. A critical patient who spends a long
\ntime in hospital could need up to 40 packs,\" the doctor, who
\nasked for anonymity, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
She said the next step after receiving the plasma was to check
\non the thrombosis level in the patient's blood before deciding
\nhow large a blood transfusion the patient would need.<\/p>\n
A staffer at the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross
\nsaid yesterday the office was overwhelmed by people seeking blood
\nfor relatives suffering from dengue fever.<\/p>\n
The employee, who asked not to be named, said that many people
\nwere not aware that dengue fever sufferers needed only fresh
\nplasma, not regular blood.<\/p>\n
\"We could take around 30cc of plasma from 100cc of fresh
\nblood. It takes up to 10 hours to process until the plasma is
\nready to be used,\" he said. Plasma must be used no later than six
\nhours after being processed, he added.<\/p>\n
Each bag containing about 300cc of blood costs Rp 52,000 in
\nservice fees, the official said.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, the death toll in this year's dengue fever
\noutbreak in Jakarta was 43 with another 4,300 hospitalized,
\naccording to Hadi M. Abednego, the director general for the
\ncontrol of communicable diseases.<\/p>\n
In Tangerang, the death toll is 13 and 387 people have been
\nhospitalized.<\/p>\n
Here poor people can get free treatment in the hospital
\nprovided they have a letter of recommendation issued by their
\nneighborhood chief.<\/p>\n
Data from the Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Central
\nJakarta shows that 428 dengue patients were treated in the
\nintensive care unit from April 1 to April 19. (41\/ivy\/cst)<\/p>",
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