Sidewalk drug vendors doctor rich and poor

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): "I have a pain in my stomach, and every time I eat something I want to throw up," a man told a roadside drug seller in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta.

Smiling confidently, Aman selected a drug off his kiosk's cluttered shelf.

"Swallow or chew this tablet three times a day after meals and you will be just fine, but remember to eat regularly," he said as he handed over a strip of Milanta tablets for gastric problems.

The buyer, Ahmad, is a regular customer.

"Drug prices are negotiable here, and I can even pay for it later," the motorcycle taxi driver said.

"Besides, I can cure my illness with one drug, there's no need for numerous and expensive medications, such as those prescribed by private doctors."

Medicines, always considered expensive here, have soared beyond the reach of many ailing pocketbooks. Generics have risen by as much as 150 percent in price in the past few months, and patented drugs now cost up to 300 percent more.

Hardest hit are people like Ahmad, without health insurance or allowances provided by employers.

For them, knowing where to go to get alternatives on the street can mean the difference between starting the road to recovery or suffering in silence.

Popular centers include Bendungan Hilir and Tanah Abang, areas where the small kiosks selling drugs are conveniently near to the market and high-rise office buildings.

Aman, 37, started his business in 1990, after he arrived in the city from his hometown of Purwokerto, Central Java.

"Selling drugs on the roadside is profitable, even though I set prices at up to 30 percent lower than those at pharmacies."

He said he could offer the lower prices because of the discounts from major drug distributors, from whom he makes monthly purchases.

Antibiotics at Aman's stall are three times cheaper than those at pharmacies. "I only sell good quality drugs, none of them have passed their expiration dates."

As other businesses ail amid the crisis, sidewalk drug vendors are experiencing healthy gains.

"Usually, I have about 10 customers a day, but now the number of my customers has doubled," said Aman, who opens his kiosk from 4 p.m. until 9 p.m. every day except Sunday.

"Maybe I will soon need to purchase my drug supplies twice a month."

He said his customers ranged from house servants to people who drove up in expensive cars, several of whom complained of venereal diseases.

They often ask him to buy expensive medications from pharmacies, and return later in the day to pick them up.

"They usually know the brand they need ... maybe they're ashamed to go to the pharmacies ... They don't mind the high prices."

There are more wholesome tales, such as the woman who came to him with her sick son.

"She was a widow and a dishwasher at a foodstall and she said she didn't have money to go to a doctor."

He said he trusted her because she told him she lived in his neighborhood.

"So I helped her right away by recommending some drugs for her son," Aman said.

Several days later, the woman returned.

"At first, I feared something was wrong with her son, but it turned out she wanted to thank me," Aman said smiling.

As they spout their advice and hand over drugs for different ailments, the vendors could pass for experts, even though doctors often warn that self-medication and treatment recommendations by those who are not medically certified are risky.

In their defense, vendors claim they keep abreast of medical developments and read up on their drugs before prescribing them.

Budi, another drug vendor, said: "I carefully read every informational brochure from distributors on each drug before promoting them to my customers."

He said many of his patients only knew the symptoms, not the disease itself.

"So it's important for me to learn about each drug," said Budi, who started his business two years ago. "I don't want to be held responsible for giving the wrong drugs."