Netherlands offer RI medicines, food<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Hans van Mierlo
\noffered yesterday to send food and medicine to alleviate the
\nshortages facing many Indonesians in the current economic crisis.<\/p>\n
\"I think you are facing an urgent problem in medicines... and
\nalso food, because of the rise in the rice price,\" Mierlo said
\nafter meeting with President Soeharto at the Bina Graha
\npresidential office.<\/p>\n
Mierlo, who is also deputy prime minister, told Soeharto his
\ngovernment planned to establish a trade facility to guarantee
\nIndonesian imports.<\/p>\n
He did not say how much food and medicine his government would
\nprovide. He only said it would announce the details of its
\nassistance to Indonesia soon.<\/p>\n
The Netherlands' offer comes as the media is reporting that
\nthe economic crisis has caused price increases of up to 300
\npercent for patent medicines and 50 percent for generic drugs.<\/p>\n
Health clinics have reportedly closed because they have no
\nsupplies and more and more people are becoming uncertain as to
\nwhether they will be able to find drugs and medical treatment at
\nreasonable prices for much longer.<\/p>\n
\"This is a nightmare. I'm very upset about this situation. I
\npray that my family will not suffer any serious illness during
\nthe monetary crisis,\" said a working woman in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
She also called on doctors not to raise their consultation
\nfees as the rising drug prices were already burdening the public.<\/p>\n
\"We are running out of money. If doctors also raise their fees
\nin this difficult situation, then they are really acting
\ninhumanely,\" she said<\/p>\n
An employee of the University of Indonesia, Tjiptaningsih
\nHadisuryo, agreed and said doctors should not take advantage of
\ntheir patients.<\/p>\n
\"Many of the doctors are already rich. Our salaries are not
\ngoing to be raised,\" said Tjipta.<\/p>\n
The two working women called on the government to ensure
\nadequate supplies of generic drugs in hospitals and drugstores at
\naffordable prices.<\/p>\n
The government announced Tuesday that it had allocated Rp 700
\nbillion (US$100 million) this fiscal year to subsidize the
\nsoaring prices of imported drugs and vital medical equipment.<\/p>\n
But drug prices continue to increase as manufacturers still
\nhave to import the ingredients. Some public hospitals and clinics
\nreportedly can no longer afford to buy imported medical
\nequipment.<\/p>\n
The Kompas daily reported yesterday that half of the 123
\nmedical clinics in Bekasi, West Java, were closing as they could
\nnot provide the public with treatment and medication.<\/p>\n
The Bekasi General Hospital also had to raise treatment fees
\nfollowing the drug and medical supply price hikes.<\/p>\n
Kiagoes, a physician from the Pondok Indah Hospital in South
\nJakarta, said that the hospital could not prevent doctors from
\nraising their consultation fees.<\/p>\n
\"We have set the doctor's fees for the second class, the first
\nclass, VIP class and the VVIP class but we cannot fix the exact
\nprices as doctors have autonomy (to decide their fees),\" he told
\nreporters yesterday.<\/p>\n
Ascobat Gani, dean of the school of public health at the
\nUniversity of Indonesia said hospitals should cut costs and apply
\ncost-effective policies by reducing, among other things,
\nexpansion plans and using conventional medical technology instead
\nof modern methods which cost more but produce the same result.
\n(09\/prb)<\/p>",
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