JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has been asked to act quickly and decisively in dealing with price games and drug scarcity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Allegedly, there is an action of the drug mafia behind the scarcity of various types of drugs on the market that must be eradicated.
"This is insane. In all areas of rare medicine, finding it is difficult. No more parties are free to play drugs. It must be brought under control,” said Member of Commission VI of the DPR, Mufti Anam, Tuesday, July 27.
Currently, he continued, there are drugs whose highest price is IDR 5 million, which can jump to IDR 65 million, even hundreds of millions like Actemra. Moreover, the President has directly investigated the scarcity of medicines.
"Poor people. President Jokowi's orders are clear, put this drug in order, there are two indicators of success, availability and price," explained Mufti.
The East Java legislator revealed that there had been a lot of evidence that drug prices had soared and they were not in stock in almost all regions.
"It was real. In almost all areas. That medicine is rare and expensive. This is a fact on the ground. The Minister of Health must take tactical and strategic steps, including in terms of law enforcement if there are violations," he said.
On the other hand, said Mufti, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said there are "middle-upper-class people" who are healthy and have bought medicines to stock up at home in anticipation for fear of running out of stock. In fact, to be able to get drugs that are classified as hard drugs, of course, must be accompanied by a doctor's prescription.
Therefore, according to the Mufti, it is an indication that there is an alleged drug sales game.
“Well, how can healthy people who belong to the upper middle class get these medicines? Yet they are healthy. If you buy it, you must have a doctor's prescription. What is this. It must be investigated thoroughly," said the Mufti.
The PDIP politician assessed that the scarcity of drugs is not always a matter of supply, but there is also a drug mafia game. According to him, the government currently has extraordinary public support, because it shows its intention to clean up those suspected of playing drugs.
“This public support is important for the successful handling of the pandemic. Drug management is one of the determinants of public trust in the government," he said.
The Mufti also supports the Government in the short term to immediately import medicines which are considered rare. However, he appealed to the distribution to be fair and free from the practice of chasing short-term rents.
"No party should have access to it, then buy it up and resell it at an insane price," he emphasized.
Mufti reminded that the pandemic must be a momentum for an integrated improvement of the drug industry, both from the side of the drug raw material industry, drug production, to equitable distribution.
He said, due to rare problems and the high cost of therapeutic drugs for COVID-19 patients, the patient mortality rate could potentially continue to rise, in addition to problems with oxygen availability and the capacity of health facilities.
"This is the right momentum, the Government through the Minister of Health in collaboration with other ministries must make a total improvement," said the Mufti.
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