Jakarta – Parents of children who were administered counterfeit vaccines at Harapan Bunda Hospital in East Jakarta said they had noticed irregularities when their children were immunized at the hospital.

Intan Nugraha, 26, said that after her 8-month-old son received a shot at the hospital in April, she was told to pay the nurse directly as the hospital had run out of vaccines.

"I paid Rp 1.7 million [about US$129) but in the receipt it was written out as Rp 750,000. The nurse said that Rp 1 million would be transferred by her to the hospital," Intan said.

Another parent, Rudi Arandy, 41, also noticed similar irregularities, including the fact that the receipts given to them had no hospital logo or stamp. "The doctor injected the patient without asking us whether we consented to them giving our children vaccines from their private stock," Rudi said.

The parents said they did not follow up on their suspicions as they trusted the hospital.

The hospital said it would bear the cost of revaccinations for patients who were proven to have been administered fake vaccines. Hospital director Finna also promised in a written statement that the hospital would bear the cost of medication if the affected patients had suffered any negative effects. (ary)

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/07/16/parents-missed-red-flags-in-fake-vaccine-debacle.html