Jokowi's Small Note During Inspection Looking For COVID-19 Therapy Drugs But Turns Out To Be Empty: Where Do I Look?

President Jokowi checks antiviral drugs for treating COVID-19 patients at the Villa Duta Pharmacy, Bogor City (VIA Youtube Presidential Secretariat)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo checked the availability of antiviral drugs which are now being used as therapeutic drugs for COVID-19 patients. When he visited the Villa Duta pharmacy, Bogor City, Jokowi had to bite his finger, because the antiviral drug he was looking for was not available.

Jokowi brought a small piece of paper. He read this paper when he asked one by one the antiviral drug he was looking for.

"I want to find an antiviral drug oseltamivir," Jokowi said in a video uploaded to the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube channel, Friday, July 23.

"It's empty, sir," said the employee.

"Not available?" Jokowi said and then reaffirmed by the pharmacy employee that the drug the president was looking for was not available.

"Then where do I look if I want to find it?" Jokowi said.

"Well, we also can't get the goods," replied the pharmacy employee.

"How long has it been without oseltamivir?" Jokowi asked.

"Oseltamivir is a generic one, sir. Yesterday there was still the Drufir brand. That's the patent but now it's vacant,” replied the pharmacy employee.

Even when Jokowi asked about the stock of Favipiravir, the Dutta Villa pharmacy ran out of stock.

"If there is vitamin d3?" Jokowi said.

Pharmacists say that only 1,000 vitamin D3 is available. Meanwhile, vitamin D3 5000 is out of stock.

"What about multivitamins that contain zinc?" Jokowi asked again.

"Multivitamins containing zinc are now megative," said the employee as he took the multivitamin that Jokowi was looking for.

Moving from the pharmacy, Jokowi immediately got into the car and called Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. To Budi, Jokowi complained about running out of medicine at the pharmacy.

"Mr. Minister, I checked at the pharmacy in Bogor, I looked for the antiviral drug oseltamivir, there wasn't any. I looked for it again, the antiviral drug with favipiravir wasn't there either, it was empty. I looked for the antibiotic acetromicin, too. There wasn't any stock. It's been more than a week," Jokowi said to Budi by telephone.

Hearing this, the Minister of Health, Budi, said that he would check the availability of drugs. Not long after, Budi reported the availability of drugs at Kimia Farma Pharmacy, Bogor City.

"I have a record, we already have one online. I just checked. For example, for favipiravir at Kimia Farma Tajur Baru Pharmacy, there are 4,900, Kimia Farma Juanda 30 Pharmacy is 4,300, Kimia Farma in Semplak Bogor is 4,200," explained Budi.

"There are online data at the hospital, it can be seen by the city for Kimia Farma Pharmacy, Century, Guardian, K24," he added.

Jokowi said he would immediately check with the pharmacy that Budi mentioned. "Okay, I'll just go there, I'll buy it there," said Jokowi before hanging up the phone.