Three PMI Surabaya Officers Who Buy And Sell COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Hold A Session

ILLUSTRATION/UNSPLASH

SURABAYA - Three Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) officers in Surabaya, East Java were involved in the sale and purchase of convalescent plasma for COVID-19 patients.

This was revealed after the three of them underwent an indictment trial at the Surabaya District Court (PN) on Thursday, October 21.

"Yes, it's true, there are three people from PMI Surabaya who have been accused of being involved in the sale and purchase of convalescent blood to COVID-19 patients", said the Public Prosecutor (JPU), Rakhmad Hari Basuki, confirmed on Thursday, October 28.

The three PMI employees are Yogi Agung Prima Wardana, Bernadya Anisah Krismaningtyas, and Mohammad Yusuf Efendi. In the indictment, the three were charged with seeking millions of rupiah in profit from the practice of convalescent buying and selling in July-August 2021.

Initially, said Rakhmad, Yogi contacted the defendants Bernadya and Yusuf to offer convalescent blood plasma to the families of COVID-19 patients in need. Yogi charges convalescent plasma blood ranging from IDR 2.5 million to IDR 3 million per bag.

"Furthermore, Bernadya and Yusuf offered to post their status on Facebook. Both were promised a fee of IDR 200-350 thousand per person who donated their convalescent blood", he said.

To find convalescent plasma stocks, Bernadya and Yusuf also pretended to be COVID-19 patients who needed donors. They then tricked COVID-19 survivors into willing to donate their plasma.

"This case was revealed after the police disguised themselves as relatives of the patient, and finally arrested Bernadya around August 4, and the next day arrested Yogi", he said.

During interrogation, Yogi admitted that he had sold plasma blood twice. O plus blood plasma is sold for IDR 3.5 million, and AB + blood plasma is priced at IDR 5 million.

Meanwhile, Yusuf admitted that he had accompanied donors 12 times, who would donate blood plasma at PMI Surabaya by pretending to be the family of a COVID-19 patient.

For their actions, the three PMI employees were charged with Article 195 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 36 of 2009 concerning Health in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code.