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Several regions in Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara are seeing a spike in the number of dengue cases. Dr. Asep Purnama, the director of TC Hillers Hospital in Maumere, Flores, reported that as many as seven children had died from dengue.

“They died because there were delays in treating them. When they were brought to the hospital, the patients were already in critical condition, stage four,” he said.

At the Prof. WZ Johannes Hospital in Kupang, dozens of children are undergoing intensive medical treatment because of dengue. In one room alone, about 40 youngsters are receiving medical treatment for the disease.

According to Yuliana Ndolu, a children’s ward nurse, from January to early February some 60 kids had received intensive treatment for dengue fever, but so far there had been no reports of any fatalities at the hospital. JG
AHealth Ministry official said on Wednesday that generic medicine prices were being raised to keep the drugs from disappearing from store shelves.

“Since last year, more than 80 generic medicines, mostly lifesaving medicines, have not been available on the market because the producers think the price offered by the government is too low,” Sri Indrawaty, director general of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment, said on Wednesday.

Sri Indrawati said that of the 453 generic medicines monitored by the government, 33 would experience price increases averaging about 2.8 percent, while the prices of some 106 other items would decrease. Sri Indrawati said that the problem began last year when the ministry cut the price of some medications. JG
Six police officers in South Sulawesi have been detained and questioned for allegedly assaulting five students, provincial police spokesman Heri Subiansauri told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

“We have set up an internal team to investigate the issue and we are currently collecting evidence and questioning witnesses,” Heri said, adding that the beatings happened on Tuesday night.

“We have apologized to the students at Poltekkes [University]. We are going to punish our officers appropriately,” he said.

Heri said that the assault occurred in the Paccerakkang subdistrict of the provincial capital, Makassar, and was triggered by a fight that had occurred previously between one of the policemen and one of the five physiotherapy students. JG
The body of a boy estimated by police to be around 5 years old was found inside a suitcase in Cirebon, West Java, on Tuesday. The luggage was inside an abandoned wooden cupboard at the side of a street and was found after a resident noticed a foul smell from inside. Thinking the odor was from a dead animal he opened it up and found the case with the child’s body inside.

A note inside the bag said, “I have put my son’s body in your care. I had to do this because I didn’t have money for his funeral. My son died in an accident. His name was Indra Saputra.”

Cirebon Police believed the boy had been dead for six days. They took the body to Gunung Jati Hospital for an autopsy.

“We are not accepting the note as true until we investigate the case. We will try to identify the boy and find his parents,” an officer said. JG
Customs officers at Polonia Airport in Medan arrested a 62-year-old woman on Tuesday night for allegedly carrying 400 grams of methamphetamine pills in plastic bags hidden in underwear and tissues in her handbag.

T he woman, identified as Aceh resident Sapura Idris, was arrested at 10 p.m. after disembarking from a Sriwijaya Air flight from Penang, Malaysia, said the head of the airport’s customs office, Hendi Budi Santoso. The woman attracted officers’ attention because she looked nervous, he said.

Sapura claimed the drugs belonged to another passenger on the plane who asked her to carry them in exchange for Rp 1.4 million ($150).“It was given to me by a young man in his 30s. He said somebody would meet me at the airport but I was arrested instead,” Sapura told TV One. JG