Immunization Newsbriefs (c) Copyright
Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for
Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii's new website at
http://www.immunizationinfo.org.
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.
ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND
MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS
OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR
LEGAL ADVICE. THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND
COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH
YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.
"A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth."
-- Albert Einstein, letter to a friend, 1901
"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."
-- Thomas Jefferson, letter to William C. Jarvis, September 28, 1820
"What's the point of vaccination if it doesn't protect you from the unvaccinated?"
-- Sandy Gottstein
"Who gets to decide what the greater good is and how many will be sacrificed to it?"