Avoid Namru-2 Controversy In Collaboration With The Gates Foundation

Photos Of Luthfiah VOI's Work

JAKARTA After the USAID freeze which is said to have an impact on the health sector in Indonesia, the arrival of Bill Gates some time ago seemed to provide fresh air. Through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) providing grant funds to Indonesia of 159 million US dollars or equivalent to Rp. 2.6 trillion since 2009 in the health sector. Second, Gates wants Indonesia to become a place for clinical trials of the tuberculosis vaccine (TBC) he developed.

The Indonesian government, in this case the Ministry of Health, welcomes the TB vaccine trial. This is because TB cases have claimed lives in Indonesia to reach 100,000 people every year.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that there are 889,000 cases of TB in 2024 until early March 2025. Unlike the government, the public's views are divided by Bill Gates' wishes.

Some are pros or supportive, some are cons because they feel anxious when Indonesians become rabbits for the BMGF TB vaccine trial.

The pros and cons that have emerged regarding the BMGF TB vaccine trial are certainly a little more reminiscent of the controversy surrounding Naval Medical Research Unit 2 (Namru-2) in Indonesia several years ago.

Namru-2 was first in Indonesia in 1970 to research infectious disease viruses for the benefit of the US Navy and the US Department of Defense. Namru-2 contract, US Navy-owned virus research unit, with the Republic of Indonesia having expired since January 2000.

However, in practice, research activities were still ongoing until 2005. Then the Minister of Health at that time, Siti Fadilah Supari immediately stopped it. He forbade all hospitals to send samples to Namru-2 for investigation. Many parties suspect that Namru's whereabouts are a means of US intelligence activities under the guise of research.

In 2022, the Head of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces, Igor Kirillov, accused the US of establishing an illegal biological experiment lab in Indonesia. He suspects the US navy is conducting suspicious biological research in Indonesia based on the approval of the US government based in Washington DC. Kirillov stated that the illegal experiment was stopped by the Indonesian government in 2010.

In the statement, Kirillov assessed that the US was doing work in laboratory facilities in Jakarta outside the framework of the research program agreed by the two countries. When referring to the facts, Kirillov's accusations are certainly none other than the existence of Namur-2, which has been recorded since October 16, 2009, Namru-2 is no longer operating.

In a statement regarding the closure of Lab Namru-2, Minister of Health Siti Fadilah Supari assessed that the existence of Namru-2 interfered with Indonesia's sovereignty. This is because the research center researched the virus carried out by the US Navy.

Returning to the trial of the TB BMGF vaccine in Indonesia, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin denied the assumption that the Indonesian people would become guinea pigs. According to him, the TB vaccine that will be tested has gone through a series of tests and its security is guaranteed. In addition, the researchers will see the effectiveness of the TB vaccine before it is launched.

Chairman of the Honorary Council of the Indonesian Lung Doctors Association, Tjandra Yoga Aditama, explained that Indonesia and the world do need a new TB vaccine. The reason is, so far the Bacclus Calmette-Guerrin (BCG) type TB vaccine, which was found in the 1920s, has limited effectiveness, namely only for children's time, especially preventing severe TB and death from TB in children.

However, to prevent the stigma of experimental rabbits from strengthening, three parties involved should be open so that the vaccine clinical trial program can be accepted by the public. One, explained by the government what really happened. Second, it is also explained by the parties conducting the research. Hospitals or universities please explain what happened. Other parties who need to be open to the public are experts who understand the context of clinical trials of vaccines," he said.

Health and Policy Director experts at the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiatives (CISDI), Olivia Herlinda, assess the regulatory provisions, implementation of clinical trials, and the surveillance system of side effects and others must be well prepared to ensure accountable and transparent clinical trials.

According to him, it is undeniable that vaccine trials have a positive impact on a country. For example, the availability of employment opportunities and the development of professionals in the health sector and access that are increasingly open to the latest medical technology, infrastructure support and health research, as well as international cooperation.

But on the other hand, vaccine trials also have negative impacts such as ethical issues and informed consent, public concerns and misinformation, inequality of access, and risk of test side effects. Olivia emphasized that vaccine trials will also have a negative impact if they are not accompanied by strong regulations.

The aspect of this regulation is very important to ensure the safety of clinical trial volunteers. There needs to be legal protection against the rights and welfare of volunteers. The question is whether the government already has an adequate legal policy or framework for clinical trials of the BMGF TB vaccine? He said