Don't raise drug prices without permission: Governor

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso has asked privately owned drugstores and city-owned hospitals here not to raise their service fees and drug prices without permission from the government.

"Don't add to the people's burdens, especially sick people's. Don't take personal advantage of the monetary crisis when drug prices and medical service fees can be maintained," he said over the weekend.

The city is home to hundreds of private drugstores many of which have raised prices following a significant drop in the rupiah's value against the US dollar.

Of the hundreds of hospitals in the city, four are under city administration supervision.

They are the Koja Hospital in North Jakarta, the Pasar Rebo Hospital in East Jakarta, and the Tarakan and Budi Asih hospitals in Central Jakarta.

Minister of Health Sujudi said earlier that the government would raise the prices of generic and non-generic medicines by as much as 15 percent in April.

The price hike was necessary because prices of imported raw materials needed to make the drugs had continued to soar due to the depreciating rupiah, he said.

Sutiyoso said: "I've personally ordered city-owned hospitals to maintain their service fees to ease patients' financial burdens."

According to Sujudi, the pharmaceutical industry imports 70 percent to 80 percent of the raw materials used to manufacture quality drugs.

Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association data shows that there are 63 pharmaceutical manufacturing companies, 271 distributors, 649 dispensaries and 327 drugstores in the city.

But City Health Office data says there are 470 drugstores in the city.

Based on The Jakarta Post observations, most drugstores have raised their prices before the official date set by the government.

Henny, a pharmacist who works at a 24-hour drugstore in Rawamangun, East Jakarta said the prices of drugs had soared since last December.

"The distributors here have already put prices up 20 percent more than usual. So we have no choice but to make price adjustments," she said.

Heru from Kramat Jati drugstore in East Jakarta said the same. "It is impossible for us not to raise the prices of drugs, because manufacturers have already hiked the prices. For instance, one strip of Ponstan (pain killer tablets) used to cost Rp 3,000. But now the price has more than doubled to Rp 6,500."

Fanie Heriyati, a pharmacist who works in South Jakarta said many patients complained about the price hikes.

"But what more we can do? I feel pity for them, especially those we consider to be our regular customers. I just hope the situation gets better," she said.

Chairman of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) Azrul Azwar has also asked physicians not to add to the financial burdens of their patients as they are also faced with significant rises in household staples and commodities.

"IDI has never suggested doctors increase their billing," he said last month. (edt)