Ministry Suspends Circulation of Anesthetics after Siloam Deaths

TEMPO.CO, Padang – The Health Ministry has withdrawn and barred the circulation of two anesthetics nationwide: Buvanest Spinal and Tranexamat. “We’ve already told people not to use the drugs,” Health Minister Nila Djuwita Anfarsa Moeloek said in Padang, West Sumatra on Friday, February 20, 2015.

Nila said the withdrawal was linked to the recent deaths of two patients at Siloam Hospital in Tangerang, Banten from allegedly injected with the wrong anesthetic due to labeling errors. Nila said her ministry was still probing the case.

"We had a meeting with lawmakers of the House’s Commission IX [overseeing health and welfare] yesterday. They are now inspecting the hospital and PT Kalbe Farma,” she said.

Nila said the anesthetic injected through the patients’ backs was purportedly containing 5mm instead of 4mm Buvanest Spinal. “It turned out that the patients suffered from itchiness. One patient, after being administered a general anesthetic, suffered from seizure and then passed away,” she said.

According to Nila, the National Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) is also looking into the case to pinpoint the possible death causes: incorrect drug administration, allergic patients, or the patients’ body resistance against the drugs.

Nila said the government and House lawmakers were also examining the hospital’s operational standards. “We are still studying the case. We can’t tell for sure yet about the causes,” she said.

Nila assured the government would take stern action against the hospital if found negligent, or revoke the permit of the drug-maker if found as the guilty party. 

ANDRI EL FARUQI