Critical drugs are medicines that have to be routinely consumed by patients, the ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, noted in an online conference on Wednesday.
However, the government still has to review whether the syrup critical drugs have ethylene glycol (EG) or diethylene glycol (DEG) content.
Critical drugs that can be used according to Circulation Letter No. HK.02.02/III/3713/2022 comprise drugs that contain valproic acid, Depakene, Depval, Epifri, Ikalep, Sodium Valproate, Valeptik, Vellepsy, Veronil, Revatio Syrop, Viagra Syrop, and Chloral Hydrat Syrop.
"These critical drugs can be used with therapy monitoring by health workers," Syahril explained.
This circulation letter on the use of syrup drug on children has been conveyed to all health offices at the provincial and district or city level as well as hospitals across Indonesia, he confirmed.
Moreover, the circulation letter, issued on November 11, 2022, has been conveyed to the Executive Board of the Indonesia Doctor Association and Indonesia Dentist Association.
Moreover, the letter was conveyed to Executive Board of the Indonesia Pediatric Association (IDAI), Indonesia National Nurse Association, Indonesia Midwife Association, and Indonesia Pharmacy Association.
Acute kidney injury cases in children declined within the last two weeks after the government banned the use of syrup drug products, Syahril noted.
According to the government's data on November 15, 2022, the number of acute kidney injury patients reached 324 people.
Meanwhile, 111 people recovered, 199 people passed away, and 14 people were still undergoing intensive treatment.
Since November 2, 2022, until now, or in the last two weeks, there has been a decline in cases, he noted.
This means that the cases do not decrease, so the figure remains at 324 cases in the last two weeks, he explained.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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