House halts meeting with Health Minister on contaminated milk products

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 02/17/2011 10:01 PM | National

The House of Representatives Commission IX on health decided on Thursday to stop a meeting with the Health Minister, the Bogor Agriculture Institute (IPB) and two other institutions as the IPB insisted on concealing the identities of bacteria-contaminated milk products.

“This meeting is delayed until Monday…,” Commission IX deputy chairman Ahmad Nizar Shihab said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

An IPB dean, I Wayan Teguh Wibawan, refused to identify the bacteria-contaminated milk products to legislators during the meeting, saying IPB had not yet received a copy of the verdict from the Supreme Court ordering the disclosure of the contaminated milk products found in a 2006 IPB research.

Wayan also said he needed to consult with the IPB rector about any decision to announce the research results.

The House will summon the IPB rector, Health Minister Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih and Food and Drugs Monitoring Agency (BPOM) chairwoman Kustantinah on Monday over the issue.

50,000 Balinese suffering from cataracts: Health official

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 01/21/2011 2:57 PM | Archipelago

About 50,000 people in Bali are suffering from cataracts and the number is expected to increase by 0.1 percent annually, a physician says.

Many people suffer from the disease not only because of old age, but also because of poor nutrition, unfavorable weather, diabetes and excessive exposure to sunlight, Indera Hospital chief Dr. Pande Sri Joni said Friday in Denpasar after receiving Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty.

Moriarty visited the hospital in relation to health donations from the Australian government amounting to Aus$3 million, Antara reported Friday.

Joni said cataract patients could get their sight back through operations, adding that despite efforts by the government to prevent the illness, the number of cataract patients continued to increase.

“Every day [we] perform 10 operations. Each year we treat 1,000 patients and the number will increase to 2,000,” he said.

The hospital has five ophthalmologists who perform the eye surgery and also a mobile unit that can travel to villages throughout Bali upon requests from regional administrations.

50,000 Balinese suffering from cataracts: Health official

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 01/21/2011 2:57 PM | Archipelago

About 50,000 people in Bali are suffering from cataracts and the number is expected to increase by 0.1 percent annually, a physician says.

Many people suffer from the disease not only because of old age, but also because of poor nutrition, unfavorable weather, diabetes and excessive exposure to sunlight, Indera Hospital chief Dr. Pande Sri Joni said Friday in Denpasar after receiving Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Greg Moriarty.

Moriarty visited the hospital in relation to health donations from the Australian government amounting to Aus$3 million, Antara reported Friday.

Joni said cataract patients could get their sight back through operations, adding that despite efforts by the government to prevent the illness, the number of cataract patients continued to increase.

“Every day [we] perform 10 operations. Each year we treat 1,000 patients and the number will increase to 2,000,” he said.

The hospital has five ophthalmologists who perform the eye surgery and also a mobile unit that can travel to villages throughout Bali upon requests from regional administrations.