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September 23, 2002
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS
"Medicine Meant for Needy Hijacked"
Singapore Straits Times (straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/home) (09/20/02); Go, Robert
In Indonesia, government-subsidized vaccines and prescription drugs meant for the poor at government-run health clinics reportedly are being stolen and sold to private dealers, who then sell them on the open market. Watchdog group YPKKI health-care head Marius Widjajarta points out that most government clinics are in short supply of medicines and vaccines due to the corrupted system. Indonesian Health Minister Achmad Sujudi announced this week that warehouses with loose inventories are now being investigated, and he urged patients to decline drugs marked as "Property of the Indonesian Ministry of Health" and "Not for Sale" due to possible storage irregularities that could render the products ineffective. However, since most patients are unaware of the no-cost vaccines and drugs available to them through the government, they do not question high-priced drugs and vaccines from their clinics.
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