Tsunami medical aid still in Medan hospital<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan<\/p>\n
The Food and Drug Monitoring Agency in Medan found on Thursday
\nthat medical supplies meant for tsunami victims at Pirngadi
\nHospital, that came from a US nongovernmental group Project Hope,
\nwere partly being used to treat regular patients.<\/p>\n
According to a member of the agency's audit team, Flora Sari
\nSiregar, all of the medical supplies -- separated into nine
\ngroups, including antibiotics, antiseptics, analgesics as well as
\ninfluenza and cough medicines -- could still be used as they
\nwould not expire until 2007.<\/p>\n
She said the expensive medical supplies were of good quality,
\nand included such antibiotics as Zithromax, Unasyn and
\nVibramycyn.<\/p>\n
The agency has not yet completed counting the worth of
\nmedical supplies piling up at the hospital, which treated many
\ntsunami victims coming from as far as Aceh after the disaster,
\nbut estimated the amount would reach billions of rupiah.<\/p>\n
\"Our audit shows that these expensive medicines are being used
\nby the hospital's management not to treat tsunami victims but
\nother patients at the hospital. So far we don't know whether the
\nmedical aid was being sold (by the hospital),\" Flora told The
\nJakarta Post on Thursday.<\/p>\n
She said the audit, which started four days ago, was conducted
\nfollowing information from the public that there were medical
\nsupplies meant for tsunami victims at the hospital.<\/p>\n
The hospital's secretary, Muhammad Norman, confirmed the
\npresence of the supplies, saying that the hospital received them
\nin the middle of this year from Project Hope.<\/p>\n
He said that the hospital earlier turned down the medical
\nassistance since it was no longer treating tsunami victims but
\nthen took it after Project Hope insisted.<\/p>\n
\"The medical supplies are still here with us but some can no
\nlonger be used since they have already expired,\" Norman said.<\/p>\n
When asked whether the drugs were being used to treat regular
\npatients, he confirmed this, but added that it was being
\nspecially used to treat poor patients.<\/p>\n
\"Some of the drugs have been used but we are giving them to
\npoor patients for free. None of them are being sold,\" Norman
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
But he was not sure how many of the drugs had been used to
\ntreat poor patients. \"I forget the amount but this can be
\nchecked,\" Norman said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/tsunami-medical-aid-still-in-medan-hospital-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}