Health Ministry prepares price guide

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry has prepared a list of recommended prices for certain medicines as a guide and reference for people buying the drugs from private pharmacies, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.
Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said the list of prices had been uploaded onto the website of the Department of Pharmacy as an ongoing exercise of the ministry to monitor the prices of medicines sold in the country.
"Medicines in Malaysia are not price-controlled items. However, this measure has been taken to monitor the prices of the medicines and for the reference of consumers," he said when replying to a question from Datuk Seri Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan).
Abdul Ghapur had wanted to know the method adopted by the ministry to control the prices of medicines, particularly those for chronic ailments that had to be consumed over the long term.
Dr Subramaniam said the list was drawn up by the ministry with the collaboration of the industry and distributors.
Replying to a supplementary question from Abdul Ghapur on the government assurance of providing enough medicines for patients with chronic ailments from among the needy, Dr Subramaniam gave the assurance that their needs were taken care of.
He said the government always provided medicines continuously and free of charge to patients with chronic ailments such as diabetes and hypertension.
However, he said, in certain situations patients might have to obtain their medicines from private pharmacies based on prescriptions should the doctor feel that such drugs gave better relief.
Answering a supplementary question from Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid (PKR-Kuala Langat) on the government measures to ensure that prices were controlled prior to the signing of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA), Dr Subramaniam said it was preferable to promote the growth of the generic drugs industry to create competition in the prices of medicines in the country. – Bernama