Drug and Food Control in Indonesia [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM) held Raboan Discussion Forum on Wednesday (21/12). CBMH FK-KMK UGM invited Dr. Sampurno, MBA, Apt, ex-head of Badan Pengawas Obat dan Makanan Republic Indonesia (2001-2006). Dr. Sampurno presented topic Drug and Food Control. The discussion was lead by Prof. Dr. Sismindari, SU, Apt., Professor at Faculty of Pharmacy UGM.

Drug and food control is crucial because it involves the safety of millions of human lives and the value of large commodity circulation. The monitoring system must be carried out in a systematic, strict, and comprehensive manner based on an efficient system. The purpose of the drug and food control system is to protect people’s health and safety from products that do not meet the requirements and increase national industry excellence.

Business/industry actors must be fully responsible for the quality of their products and be able to check the safety, efficacy, and quality of the products they produce and market. All production and quality control results must be recorded as important company documents. Products that must be controlled and supervised are all medicinal products, traditional medicines, food, cosmetics, and medical devices circulating in the country as well as those exported.

Recommendations for drug and food control include the development of a system-based BPOM equipped with up-to-date and sophisticated IT and AI, the development of BPOM institutions throughout Indonesia as a unified monitoring/laboratory network with an effective line of command, the development of BPOM as a learning organization with human capital as the main actors, BPOM’s ability as an initiator of cross-sectoral collaboration and synergy, and the development of leadership with a strategic vision that is broad-minded and able to mobilize public participation and awareness.

Update on Stem Cell Therapy in Indonesia [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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On Wednesday (14/12), the Center for Medical Bioethics and Humanities held the Raboan Discussion Forum. The topic discussed was Update on Stem Cell Therapy in Indonesia. The speaker for this discussion was dr. Nur Azid Mahardinat and it was moderated by dr. Galuh Dyah Fatmala.

Stem cells are cells that have not properly differentiated and can multiply and differentiate into other cells that are more specific in the human body. They are essential for the development, growth, and repair of cells or tissues in the body. Stem cell technology has sparked new enthusiasm in the development of therapies for various types of diseases. However, it is important to remember that for a therapeutic technique or procedure to become a standard therapy, it must meet all scientific requirements.

Stem Cell Services in the world:

  • The policies in different countries vary.
  • This means that patients who are in a country where the use of stem cells is banned will need to go to another country that allows it.
  • For the patient’s country of origin, this results in a loss in terms of income.
  • For the destination countries of the patients, the potential for exploitation must be watched out for as a direct impact of the medical services provided.

In Indonesia, over the last decade, there has been a tremendous increase in enthusiasm for self-therapy. Some hospitals even invite experts from other countries to provide these services in Indonesia. The government, through the health courts and BPOM, has responded to this development with various regulations.

Main goals of stem cell therapy:

  1. No patient choice (no new treatment options)
  2. Rejuvenation and anti-aging (healthy patients, who do not have life-threatening diseases)

Ethical questions:

  1. What ethical considerations should be considered when applying new techniques or technologies in healthcare?

The answer: A new medical technique/technology is more likely to be adopted if it is safer, more effective, faster, cheaper, and improves cosmetic outcomes. The physician-patient relationship should prioritize the quality of care provided to patients and their families.

  1. Is it ethical to use ‘no option’ patients in therapy-based services?

The answer: There are ethical concerns regarding the inefficient allocation of medical resources, the potential for patients to experience therapy that could burden the economy or have side effects, and the possibility of patients being exploited for the benefit of certain parties.

To prevent unethical practices such as experimental procedures, considerations for clinical use and additional guidelines have been developed, including discussions on recipient selection and addressing the concerns raised in this context.

 

Humanist Doctors Views on Secularism in Indonesia [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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The Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM) again held the Raboan Discussion Forum on Wednesday (07/12). The weekly forum raised the topic When Secular Humanist Doctors Talk About Bioethics in Indonesia. On this occasion, the speaker was Albert Adiputra, M.Sc. Meanwhile, the moderator of the discussion was dr. Tiea Khatija.

The existence of a secular humanist minority is considered inappropriate in public discourse, so it lags in formulating policies related to bioethics in Indonesia. Albert’s qualitative research aims to explore the views of secular humanist doctors on bioethics issues as well as their positions, perceptions, and knowledge of the functions, benefits, and developments of bioethics in Indonesia. In his study, the sample consisted of 11 secular humanist doctors who were selected purposively snowball. The results show that secular humanist doctors have different positions and attitudes towards bioethical issues based on non-uniform claims within the spectrum of secularism. Although there is no consensus regarding attitudes and positions towards elective abortion and voluntary active euthanasia, respondents have a relatively consistent pattern of views regarding technology supporting the transhumanism movement. In this respect, the secular humanist doctor is not as monolithic as the public narrative suggests. The hope for medical secularism to materialize in the future is the response of secular humanist doctors to the problems of education and the medical profession that are not secular today. Thus, this study provides an overview of the views of secular humanist doctors on bioethics and its social implications for public discourse and policy in Indonesia.

Application of the Value of Altruism and Doctor’s Responsibility in Handling Patient Complaints at the Hospital [Raboan Discussion Forum]

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The Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities (CBMH FK-KMK UGM) again held the Raboan Discussion Forum on Wednesday (30/11). The weekly forum raised the topic Application of the Value of Altruism and Doctor’s Responsibility in Handling Patient Complaints at the Hospital. On this occasion, the speaker was dr. Rizka Putri Pratiwi, M.Sc. Meanwhile, the moderator of the discussion was dr. Tiea Khatija.

In her presentastion, dr Rizka explain the aims of her study is to identify the types of patient complaints and the process of handling them in the hospital, as well as evaluate the application of altruism and responsibility values in handling these complaints. The method used is qualitative research with a phenomenological approach, by collecting data through in-depth interviews with 15 doctors and several patients, as well as secondary data from Standard Operational Procedure documents. The results showed that there were four sub-themes in the types of patient complaints, namely types of complaints in three domains (clinical, management, and relationships), ways of submitting complaints, flow of complaint handling, and doctors’ perceptions of complaints as an important part of service. The complaint handling process includes identification, finding solutions, delivering solutions, patient feedback, documentation, and evaluation, and the values of altruism and responsibility have been applied. However, there are still some obstacles in the implementation of the value of responsibility that require improvement and improvement. Overall, the handling of patient complaints at the hospital has been carried out well, but still requires improvement to improve service quality.