Counterfeit vaccines put the health of millions of children at risk
Police arrest 15 people for producing and selling fake vaccines since 2003. Millions of doses could be involved. Minister of Health notes that phoney vaccines are not harmful; however, every child under ten should be vaccinated again. Calls for the death penalty for the culprits come from the ruling party.
Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) – After weeks investigating, Indonesian police have revealed a health care racket involving Jakarta’s main hospitals.
The probe found that millions of doses of counterfeit vaccines have been distributed throughout the country since 2003 with the result that children have not been protected from polio or hepatitis B.
It is not yet known how far and wide the scandal goes, but in more than 10 years, doses of fake drugs could run in the millions.
To reassure the public, Health Minister Nila Farid Moeloek said that so far "no one has died. Vaccines are injected under the skin."
According to preliminary testing, the counterfeit drugs are not harmful since they are a mix of fluids and antibiotics.
The minister did however urge the public to revaccinate children under the age of 10. The procedure is free. The main danger is to see outbreaks of preventable diseases.
Police arrested 15 people in connection with the fake vaccines in four provinces in Java. Those arrested have confessed that they had operated the illegal business since 2003. The group of offenders includes a married couple in Bekasi (East Jakarta), who manufactured the vaccines out of their home.
In the capital, four major hospitals have used phoney vaccines, and many pharmacies have sold them.
The affair has sparked criticism across the country against the authorities for failing to detect the scam for more than ten years. A member of the President Joko Widodo’s own Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle has called on the government to show the culprits no pity.
“Hospital directors, procurement officers, doctors and health care personnel who are found guilty of being involved [in the case] should be given the most severe punishment. To be sentenced to death, if necessary. So, don’t hesitate. We have to act now,” said Arteria Dahlan.
According to the lawmaker, distributing fake vaccines is an inhuman act. “Why did they put profit before humanity?” he asked.
He also warned that people might lose confidence in the government. ‘Where was the government all these years?”
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20/10/2023 15:02
