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