Jokowi Directly Checks Drugs At Pharmacies, Ngabalin: Head Of State Must Ensure

Ali Mochtar Ngabalin (Photo: Instagram @ngabalin)

JAKARTA - The Main Expert of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Ali Mochtar Ngabalin explained the reason for President Joko Widodo to directly check the availability of drugs at pharmacies.

Ngabalin said that Jokowi's actions were to ensure that drug supplies during the pandemic were available to meet the needs of the community.

"A head of state, he has to make sure. That's because not all middle-class, upper-level people buy their medicine at the place as he asked yesterday," Ngabalin said in a virtual discussion, Saturday, July 24.

When checking the availability of antiviral drugs at pharmacies yesterday, it turned out that Jokowi did not get them. However, said Ngabalin, this does not mean that the Ministry of Health does not provide medicines and vitamins that are needed by the community.

The government, he continued, only needs to coordinate with each agency ministry. Ngabalin also admitted that he also took part. After Jokowi visited the pharmacy, Ngabalin immediately contacted the Minister of SOEs, Erick Thohir.

"I also kept in touch with Mr. Erick about the allocation of drugs yesterday. Indeed, as a Head of State, he must know (the conditions in the field). Then, again, he reminded the Minister of Health," he said.

Yesterday, President Joko Widodo looked for antiviral drugs and vitamins at pharmacies around the Bogor Presidential Palace, West Java. Jokowi went to the Villa Duta Pharmacy.

Jokowi asked about the availability of antiviral drugs oseltamivir and favipiravir. However, it turned out that the drug had run out. Jokowi only received 1000UI vitamin D3 and a multivitamin containing zinc with the Megavite type.

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.

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