Health minister skips KPK questioning

The Jakarta Post | Tue, 03/27/2012 10:23 AM

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JAKARTA: Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih failed to show up for questioning on Monday at Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters, claiming that she was sick.

Endang was expected to undergo questioning as a witness in a graft case centering on the procurement of health equipment for a bird flu mitigation effort in 2010.

KPK investigators earlier summoned former health minister Siti Fadillah Supari.

KPK spokesperson Johan Budi said that investigators in the case will once again summon Endang for a questioning session next week.

“We just received a message that she was sick. We will ask her to come next week,” Johan said as quoted by kompas.com.

Johan said that Endang was facing questioning because she was chairperson of the ministry’s research and development body for biomedics and pharmacy when the alleged graft took place.

The KPK has named former Law and Human Rights Ministry secretary Soetodjo Yunowo a suspect in the case. Soetodjo is suspected of directly opting for private company PT Bersaudara without going through the proper procurement procedure.

The case has also implicated other big names including Aburizal Bakrie, who is said to have received some of the graft money. The case relates to Rp 36.3 billion in state losses.

Health Minister might be involved in bird flu graft case: suspect

Ina Parlina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 03/30/2012 10:52 AM

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Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih: Indonesia Health Minister. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama

Former director general of medical services at the Health Ministry, Ratna Dewi Umar, said Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih may have been involved in a botched procurement project of health equipment used to mitigate bird flu 2006 and 2007.

On Thursday, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) once again grilled Ratna, a suspect in the case that centers on the alleged mark-up of the equipment’s price.

Ratna said that Endang was in charge of the department that proposed the procurement at the time of the case.

“The proposal for the procurement of the avian flu drugs was under the department of biomedical and pharmaceutical research and development,” Ratna said after the questioning. “Endang was the department head during the 2007 procurement.”

Ratna claimed she did not know Endang’s role in the case, however, she said that she has “given everything she knows about Endang’s role to the KPK investigators.”

Ratna insisted that the medical service directorate under her supervision was not responsible for the procurement.

On Monday, Endang failed to show up for KPK questioning as a witness in the case, claiming that she was not feeling well.

KPK also questioned on Thursday former health minister Siti Fadillah Supari, who held office from 2004 to 2009.

Siti claimed, as Ratna’s superior at the time of the case, she did not know that the procurement was troubled.

Overview of This Week’s 

29 March 2012

ANALYSIS – Pressure has been mounting in the US and the UK this week to reduce the use of antibiotics in farm animals, writes senior editor, Jackie Linden. British vets have questioned the assertion by the Soil Association that the evidence for a link between antibiotic use in animals and resistance in E. coli is ‘overwhelming’. In trade news, the US is to appeal a WTO ruling against mandatory Country of Origin Labelling of some foods, including poultry meat.

In the US, a judge has issued a landmark ruling that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must act to limit the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals. 

The ruling stems from a lawsuit brought last year by a coalition of consumer of advocacy groups suing the FDA over its inaction in addressing the growing public health threat posed by the daily dosing of antibiotics in livestock feed and the rise of antibiotic–resistant bacteria. 

The lawsuit came on the heels of an FDA report released to Congresswoman Louise Slaughter confirming that 80 per cent of antibiotics are sold for use in agriculture. 

“It’s about time,’ said Congresswoman Slaughter. “The FDA has been dragging its feet on this for 35 years.” 

In response to a report entitled ‘E. coli Superbugs on Farms and Food’, the Soil Association in the UK is recommending that the preventative use of antibiotics in healthy animals is phased out, and the overall use of antibiotics on farms halved within five years. 

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has urged caution over the findings of a Soil Association literature review, questioning the claim that there is ‘overwhelming evidence’ and in contrast, it points to the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority. 

In a statement, BVA said: “Few studies designed to assess risk factors for ESBL and/or AmpC occurrence in animals are available. The use of antimicrobials is a risk factor for selection and spread of resistant clones, resistance genes and plasmids.” 

The opinion then goes on to state: “How widespread ESBL–carrying bacteria are in food-producing animals in the breeding, rearing and fattening sectors is generally unknown.” 

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Finally, turning to bird flu news, the H5N1 subtype of the virus has continued its spread across Nepal and in Bangladesh, a series of outbreaks has cut chicken production and raised the prices of meat and eggs. Indonesia has announced a sixth victim has died of the disease so far this year.

Strategi baru

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