T

he fake vaccine scandal that hit the country last month has heated up after a parent filed a lawsuit against Harapan Bunda Hospital, claiming that the hospital had administered counterfeit vaccine to his daughter and refused to take responsibility for it.

On Aug. 12, 2013, Maruli Silaban took his 8-day-old daughter Putri Angel Silaban to the hospital in East Jakarta for a Tripacel vaccination. He said paying Rp 600,000 (US$46) for the vaccine at a hospital had reassured him that Putri would be protected against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis.

However, last week the Health Ministry announced that Harapan Bunda was among the medical facilities that had seemingly purchased fake vaccines from an authorized distributor. One of the fake vaccines used by the hospital, Health Minister Nila Djuwita Anfasa Moeloek said, was Tripacel.

“I panicked when I heard the news. I feel that my daughter has been left exposed and am worried that she might face problems in her development,” Maruli told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Even though Putri has not shown any sign of disease, over the last few days Maruli had joined hundreds of other parents who have gone to the hospital seeking clarification.

Maruli’s lawyer, Rony Hutahaen, said the hospital had violated Article 1365 of the Civil Code and demanded that it reveal the complete data of fake vaccines to the public as well as pay Rp 1.6 billion in compensation for material and nonmaterial losses Maruli suffered as a result of the case.

Meanwhile, Harapan Bunda spokesperson Nunung Rohayati said the hospital was collecting data on the children vaccinated on its premises, adding that the data would be submitted to the Health Ministry soon.

“We still need time to process all of the data,” she told the Post, refusing to elaborate on the number of parents who had submitted data since the case broke.

The ministry has named 14 health facilities and eight maternity clinics that administered fake vaccines.

The National Police have named 23 suspects in the case, including fake-vaccine producers, distributors, drug store owners, nurses and three doctors. Indra Sugiarno, one of the doctors, is a pediatrician at Harapan Bunda Hospital.