AlaskaDenise
In Memoriam
http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20060805.G02&irec=1
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
The parents of three young children from North Sumatra's Karo regency who were earlier reported as exhibiting classic bird flu symptoms plan to sue the provincial administration and the central government for saying their children most likely had bird flu.
The plan was disclosed Friday when the parents along with the director of the Legal Aid Institute for Health met Karo Regency Legislative Council members.
Institute director Iskandar Sitorus said the lawsuit, which is being prepared and is expected to be completed in three weeks, would target Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The lawsuit will be filed at Central Jakarta District Court.
He said they were also considering suing the World Health Organization (WHO), the provincial administration and doctors who treated his clients' children.
The three children, two sisters and the son of a neighbor from Sumbul village in Kabanjahe, were referred to Adam Malik Hospital in Medan on Tuesday after being treated at Kabanjahe Hospital in Karo. Karo is the site of a cluster of eight bird flu fatalities in one family who died in May, the world's largest single cluster.
But on Thursday, the health minister said preliminary tests on their blood samples were negative. However, she warned that the results were tentative because they were tested when they were showing symptoms of bird flu, including fever and respiratory difficulties. A second test was being carried out to confirm the results.
"The health minister should be responsible for her statement that the three are suspected of having bird flu and then that they tested negative. These statements have made the families of the victims outcasts," he told The Jakarta Post after the meeting.
Iskandar said it seemed like the central government was not serious in dealing with bird flu, especially in Karo, as seen by the way it named people who it suspected had bird flu.
"If the government keeps doing this, it will cause chaos. It simply corrected the statement. This is related to people's lives so the government should be more careful," he said.
The families, he said, have demanded that the government make a public apology and compensate them. But he could not provide details of the compensation demanded.
The father of the two girls said since the government announced that his children were possible bird flu patients, his family had been shunned by neighbors.
"My girls are OK but the government said they had bird flu. This is not fair and then after testing negative the government again says they're free from the virus. But these things have brought trouble to my family," said the farmer, who has entrusted the case to the institute.
Responding to the case, Karo Regency Legislative Council Speaker Siti Aminah said the council would support the plan.
"We'll back you up. Don't be afraid. The council members will support your plan," Siti said.
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Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan
The parents of three young children from North Sumatra's Karo regency who were earlier reported as exhibiting classic bird flu symptoms plan to sue the provincial administration and the central government for saying their children most likely had bird flu.
The plan was disclosed Friday when the parents along with the director of the Legal Aid Institute for Health met Karo Regency Legislative Council members.
Institute director Iskandar Sitorus said the lawsuit, which is being prepared and is expected to be completed in three weeks, would target Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. The lawsuit will be filed at Central Jakarta District Court.
He said they were also considering suing the World Health Organization (WHO), the provincial administration and doctors who treated his clients' children.
The three children, two sisters and the son of a neighbor from Sumbul village in Kabanjahe, were referred to Adam Malik Hospital in Medan on Tuesday after being treated at Kabanjahe Hospital in Karo. Karo is the site of a cluster of eight bird flu fatalities in one family who died in May, the world's largest single cluster.
But on Thursday, the health minister said preliminary tests on their blood samples were negative. However, she warned that the results were tentative because they were tested when they were showing symptoms of bird flu, including fever and respiratory difficulties. A second test was being carried out to confirm the results.
"The health minister should be responsible for her statement that the three are suspected of having bird flu and then that they tested negative. These statements have made the families of the victims outcasts," he told The Jakarta Post after the meeting.
Iskandar said it seemed like the central government was not serious in dealing with bird flu, especially in Karo, as seen by the way it named people who it suspected had bird flu.
"If the government keeps doing this, it will cause chaos. It simply corrected the statement. This is related to people's lives so the government should be more careful," he said.
The families, he said, have demanded that the government make a public apology and compensate them. But he could not provide details of the compensation demanded.
The father of the two girls said since the government announced that his children were possible bird flu patients, his family had been shunned by neighbors.
"My girls are OK but the government said they had bird flu. This is not fair and then after testing negative the government again says they're free from the virus. But these things have brought trouble to my family," said the farmer, who has entrusted the case to the institute.
Responding to the case, Karo Regency Legislative Council Speaker Siti Aminah said the council would support the plan.
"We'll back you up. Don't be afraid. The council members will support your plan," Siti said.
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