Drip-fed Corruption?
PT Sanbe Farma has been pushing its way through the market as a manufacturer of sterile infusion fluid. The effort, however, has been unsuccessful due to their steep prices. Meanwhile, all production at PT Otsuka Indonesia—supplier of 80 percent of the country’s infusion fluid—has been stopped by the Food & Drug Supervisory Agency. Otsuka’s method in preparing infusion fluid is not deemed as sterile and may harm those who use them.
Hospitals in Jakarta and Sumatra are experiencing an infusion fluid crisis. “This is a trade war in a business where corruption reaches trillions of rupiah,” says Iwan Darmansjah. Tempo has uncovered traces of lobbies for infusion fluid in a number of national organizations.
April 24, 2007
RUDI (not his real name), a doctor at a hospital in Central Java, was shocked upon reading a photocopy of a letter which had been distributed by the Director-General of Medical Services of the Department of Health, Farid W. Husain. The letter was shown to him by a pharmaceutical salesperson one afternoon last February. It urged hospitals to use infusion fluid that has been heated at 121 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. Rudi was puzzled. The Direct
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