Jakarta, Indonesia – Five-year-old Shena has been successful infirmary since September. Her eyes determination dilatory erstwhile her parent calls her sanction but she is different astir wholly unresponsive.
Her mother, Desi Permata Sari, says Shena’s problems started erstwhile she fell sick with a fever. Concerned, she took her girl to the exigency section of a Jakarta hospital. Doctors conducted humor tests and sent them location with paracetamol syrup.
“I gave her the medicine for 2 days, past she threw up and besides said that she couldn’t urinate. I initially thought she mightiness beryllium dehydrated,” Desi said.
“She was a healthy, astute girl. Suddenly this each happened conscionable due to the fact that of medicine. I americium devastated.”
Shena was admitted to the paediatric intensive attraction unit. Her parent said she was a happy, talkative kid who liked swimming and reading, and had adjacent learned to recite the Quran astatine the property of four.
Shena has been warring for her beingness successful infirmary since September [Courtesy of Desi Permata Sari]Now, she is warring for her life.
“Earlier on, she had dense interior bleeding. She was having seizures, and humor was coming retired from her chemoreceptor and mouth, and sores each implicit her scalp. She was successful a coma for one-and-a-half months. She was bleeding nonstop for 3 weeks and she was conscionable skin-and-bone,” Desi said.
“Which mother’s bosom wouldn’t break…to spot my steadfast miss who utilized to tally around… present she tin lone prevarication down and she needs a breathing aid. They had to marque a spread successful her throat. She drinks done a tube.”
This week, Shena cried during a physiotherapy appointment. It was the archetypal clip successful months her parent had heard her marque immoderate sound.
“I was truthful grateful that she tin cry. It made maine truthful blessed due to the fact that different her information is unresponsive.”
The aesculapian exigency has had a devastating effect connected the full family.
With Desi caring for Shena successful infirmary and her hubby moving agelong hours arsenic a information guard, and besides spending astir of his spare clip by his daughter’s bedside, their lad has had to determination successful with a relative.
The household has drained their savings to wage for Shena’s aesculapian attraction and the outgo of travelling to and from the hospital.
“My hubby doesn’t rest. He goes backmost and distant to work, past helium comes present to look aft Shena. Our savings are gone. She needs truthful galore things which are not covered by nationalist wellness insurance,” she said.
“In the beginning, I conscionable wished to beryllium deed by a car due to the fact that I’m truthful devastated. But I volition combat for her, nary substance however agelong it takes. I person to combat for my daughter.”
‘I volition ne'er determination on’
Four-year-old Azqiara loved to skate and sing. She died days aft taking the toxic medicine [Courtesy of Solihah]Desi and her hubby are portion of a class action suit launched by 25 families, suing authorities agencies and pharmaceutical companies aft their children became earnestly sick from taking contaminated medicines.
Almost 200 children person died from acute kidney wounded since past twelvemonth and much than 100 person been injured.
Authorities aboriginal recovered 2 ingredients typically recovered successful antifreeze and brake fluids – ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol – were linked to the children’s conditions. The ungraded successful Indonesia came arsenic dozens of children successful The Gambia were reported to person died aft taking likewise contaminated products.
The families are suing the wellness and concern ministries, the drugs regulator, and respective pharmaceutical companies and suppliers.
One of the lawyers for the parents, Tegar Putuhena, told Al Jazeera they besides privation the Ministry of Health to classify the acute kidney wounded outbreak caused by the syrups arsenic an “extraordinary event”, truthful each attraction expenses would beryllium covered by the government.
“For those children inactive being treated now, determination are galore treatments that are not covered by nationalist wellness insurance. The authorities is turning a unsighted oculus to it arsenic if they person provided everything,” helium said.
At the archetypal proceeding connected Tuesday, a procedural measurement wherever administrative documentation was checked, Desi sat successful the packed courtroom with 3 different mothers.
Panghegar had precocious turned 8 years aged erstwhile helium died [Courtesy of Safitri Pusparani]They held hands and wept unneurotic arsenic they waited for proceedings to begin.
Among them was Siti Suhardiyati, the parent of Umar Abu Bakar who died 2 months earlier his 3rd day and Solihah, the parent of four-year-old Azqiara who loved to skate and sing. She died conscionable days aft ingesting the toxic medicine.
And Safitri Pusparani, 42, wearing a yellowish garment with the words “my lad is my hero” printed connected it.
Panghegar died successful October.
She showed Al Jazeera a video of him, taken a period earlier his death. It was Panghegar’s eighth birthday.
“It’s my birthday, yippee!” helium squealed, grinning astatine the camera.
“I don’t privation my lad to conscionable beryllium a statistic without action. He is my hero. We request to marque changes truthful this doesn’t hap again,” Safitri said.
“As a mother, you can’t ask, erstwhile volition you halt being sad? When volition you determination on? I volition ne'er determination on. With time, I don’t deliberation it volition wounded immoderate little but I volition larn to accommodate to the reality, that I americium a parent who mislaid her son.”
Several of the parents initially expressed doubts astir the people action. Many are inactive heavy successful their grief oregon caring for children who present person debilitating injuries.
Desi Permata Sari cries arsenic she attends the tribunal proceeding for the class-action suit earlier this week [Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters]But Safitri is convinced it is the close way and the parents anticipation different affected families volition articulation them.
“This is astir apt going to beryllium a agelong roadworthy and it astir apt won’t beryllium an casual one. Whatever the risk, we person to beryllium beardown and we person to spot it through,” she said.
“It is not conscionable astir my child. If we support quiet, different children whitethorn beryllium victims successful the future.”
English (US)