Nivell Rayda, Jakarta – Indonesia's plan for the military to produce medicines for public use has sparked alarm among health experts, who question whether the armed forces possess the required expertise and safety protocols.
Although facilities run by the army, navy and air force already produce drugs for their soldiers, experts question if they can meet the standards of modern pharmaceutical production.
On Jul 22, Indonesian Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin signed an agreement with the country's Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) authorising labs run by the army, navy and air force to start producing drugs and medical supplies for civilians.
Sjafrie said the military will increase the production capacity of its medical research centres before beginning to produce drugs for the public.
The Indonesian government, the minister added, is hoping to launch these military-produced medicines on Oct 5, the 79th anniversary of the country's armed forces.
The drugs, he said, will be half the price of those produced by regular pharmaceutical companies and will be available at the 80,000 state-backed Red and White village cooperatives, a programme recently launched by President Prabowo Subianto.
"We will mass produce medicines and ship them to villages at prices which are 50 per cent cheaper than those in the market so people can afford them," Sjafrie told reporters on Jul 22.
"We are thinking of ways to lower the price even more so we could provide free medicines."
According to its website, the military has produced 44 types of drugs for internal use, including several paracetamols, pain killers and antibiotics. Officials have not disclosed what medicines or the quantities that would be produced for public use.
Experts highlighted the lack of information on the standards and protocols at the military's production facilities.
"Producing medicines requires expertise, precision, sterile labs and strict protocols. How can an institution whose core competence is not in the pharmaceutical sector be allowed to produce medicines for the general public?" Windhu Purnomo, a public health expert from Airlangga University, told CNA.
"What is at stake is the safety, efficacy and quality of the medications produced."
The opaque nature of the military adds to transparency and accountability concerns, observers said.
"If their manufacturing process is faulty, does the health ministry or the BPOM have power over the military? Will those responsible be held accountable? Because the military is not subject to civilian rules and regulations," said Hermawan Saputra, chairman of the Indonesian Health Expert Association.