Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — The situation for mental health patients in Bandung who rely on medications covered by Indonesia’s National Health Insurance (BPJS) looks dire, as one of the important drugs they depend on, alprazolam, has become unavailable.
One of the hardest to find medications in local pharmacies is Alprazolam, a drug widely used by individuals with mental health conditions. However, the patients are having no information about the reasons behind these issues.
A patient in Bandung who used alprazolam for his medication said that he has been unable to obtain the medication for over a month.
“I’ve been trying to get the medication for the past month, repeatedly inquiring with CS Medika about its availability, but the response is always the same—no clear information,” the patient, who wished to remain anonymous, told Teropongmedia on Monday (September 2, 2024).
Due to the unavailability of the medication, the patient has been forced to purchase the drug from a psychiatrist at a fantastic price.
Addressing the issue, Ikbal, the Head of Procurement at Klinik Medika, confirmed that Alprazolam has been out of stock at their pharmacy for a month.
“I only received information about the drug shortage this morning,” he said when confirmed by Teropongmedia on Monday. However, according to data obtained by Teropongmedia, the shortage of Alprazolam began in early August.
Ikbal explained that Klinik Medika receives its supply of Alprazolam from PT Mercy Farma, distributed through PT Tiara Kencana’s Bandung branch.
“We receive the medication from the distributor. The distributor takes the medicine from specifically medications suppliers for the National Health Insurance program (JKN), which is PT Mercy Farma, who is distributing the drugs through PT Tiara Kencana’ branch in Bandung,” he said.
The clinic had already ordered the drug in August, but it hasn’t arrived yet. “I reordered the medication in August, but it remains unavailable,” Ikbal explained.
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Due to its late arrival, the clinic doesn’t have the drugs. He said that the one who should have the drug is the manufacturer, which is PT Mercy Farma with PT Tiara Kencana as the distributor.
Klinik Medika has done everything to obtain the required medications. “There are many medications that are out of stock, not just Alprazolam. For instance, levetiracetam was only recently restocked,” Ikbal noted.
He emphasized that his role is limited to preparing the required medications within the clinics, while the responsibility for supplying them rests with PT Mercy Farma, distributed by PT Tiara Kencana’ branch in Bandung, according to the regulation from the Health Office.
“Because our power as a clinic is limited to that, only preparing for the drugs. While if there is a shortage, the ministry of health would be the one who calls the producers,” he added.
Ikbal also pointed out that BPJS users have access to the Mobile JKN application, which includes a feature for reporting issues with medications and facilities. “BPJS users have the Mobile JKN app, which allows users to file complaints about medication shortages, which are then reviewed by the Ministry of Health,” he said.
“We initially entered into a commitment with BPJS Health, one of them is to ensure the availability of medications. However, the ones who actually produce these drugs are not us, but are managed by the manufacturer,” Ikbal clarified.
According to the statement from a mental health patient using BPJS Health, alprazolam has been difficult to obtain in Bandung for the past month. It’s not only at Klinik Medika but also at other pharmacies partnering with BPJS Health, such as Apotek Mama and Apotek 7 Menit Bandung.
Up until this article published by the editorial team, there had been any confirmation from the Bandung City Health Office or BPJS Health Bandung regarding the matter.
