Minister cautions local Red Cross<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Health Achmad Sujudi urged the
\nIndonesian Red Cross (PMI) on Friday to be more cautious in
\nconducting blood tests so as not to endanger the public health.<\/p>\n
"Strict procedures must be practiced on the blood donors as
\nwell as blood testing and packaging," he said.<\/p>\n
"This is the most effective way to prevent possible blood
\ncontamination," Achmad said after a hearing with Commission VII
\nat the House of Representatives and WHO director general Gro
\nHarlem Brundtland here on Friday.<\/p>\n
The minister's remark came amid allegations that nine bags of
\nblood supplied by the local office of PMI in Bandung were found
\nto be Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV) positive when tested by
\nthe Bandung Advent Hospital laboratory.<\/p>\n
"We have a basic procedure on blood supplies and if the case
\nin Bandung proves to be true, certain legal sanctions can be
\nimposed to the party responsible," Achmad said.<\/p>\n
The Director General for Communicable Diseases and Health
\nEnvironment Umar Fahmi further explained that PMI has denied that
\nthe blood was contaminated by HIV.<\/p>\n
"But to be sure and to avoid public dispute, we will wait for
\nthe official results from Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (in
\nJakarta) which is conducting another test to verify the results
\nfrom the Bandung laboratory," Umar said.<\/p>\n
Virus<\/p>\n
The head of the Advent Hospital laboratory, Jan Kaimana, said
\non Thursday that after the family of a patient requested an
\nexamination of the blood his staff detected the deadly virus
\nusing the pesona method, which is more effective than the
\ncommonly applied elisa technique.<\/p>\n
Umar further explained that the country had a shortage of
\nreagents, a medium needed to test blood samples.<\/p>\n
"We only have 500,000 reagents while the country actually
\nneeds some 900,000 reagents per year. To be honest we don't have
\nthe budget. So far we have received help on reagent supplies from
\ndonor countries such as Australia, United States and Germany,"
\nUmar said.(edt)<\/p>",
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