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Angry parents congregate at Harapan Bunda Hospital
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Distraught parents gather at Harapan Bunda Hospital in Ciracas, East Jakarta, on Friday, after the Health Ministry revealed the names of 14 health facilities that administered fake vaccines to patients. (JP/Callistasia Wijaya)
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ngry parents congregated at Harapan Bunda Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, on Friday after the Health Ministry revealed on Thursday the names of facilities that had administered fake vaccines to patients.
Parents crowded the hospital from Thursday evening asking to see the directors. They shouted angrily, banged on the elevator and threatened to break through the emergency exit, as security officers prohibited them from going up to the management room on the fourth floor.
“We want to see the [hospital’s] directors! It’s our children’s future that they put in danger. We’ve been patient from last night. We can’t wait any longer,” one parent said.
Yogo, a Cijantung resident who took his six-month-old son to Harapan Bunda Hospital for vaccinations, said the vaccines sold at the hospital were “not cheap”, ranging from Rp 500,000 (US$38) to Rp 750,000.
Yogo said he had been suspicious of the hospital, recalling that a pediatrician had once asked him to pay for a vaccine directly and not through the cashier. The pediatrician, he explained, claimed that the hospital was running out of vaccines at the time and said it was better for Yogo to buy directly from him.
“I want the hospital management to see us and take responsibility,” Yogo said.
On Friday morning, the hospital’s management opened a revaccination program for children who received immunizations at the hospital, and hundreds of parents were seen flocking to register their children. (ary)
