KUALA LUMPUR (July 11, 2011): The Health Ministry said the public must exercise good sense and judgement when using medicine given by the government because they are of
high quality and effective in treating their ailments.
Health Director-General Datuk Dr Hasan Abdul Rahman said the prices of medicine purchased by the government for the public were fully subsidised so that the people would not be unduly burdened.
He said the Ministry always viewed the matter seriously and was in the process of improving on transparency for the public by sharing information on the actual prices of medicines given to them to enable them to appreciate the services provided by the government.
"We must always place importance on quality, in the purchase of medicine, the government looks for the best quality and the people must be made aware of the medicine they take.
"The government also shares with the public the prices of medicine and from where it is sourced to ensure they are sensibly used," he told reporters after opening "Phase Three Inter-Regional Meeting for Good Governance for Medicine" here today.
The Ministry spent RM1.6 billion on the purchase of medicine last year and if the co-operation with the public is successful, the government could purchase more quality medicine at the same cost, he said.
Representatives of 12 nations gathered to share their administration system and the management of medicine, during the meeting starting today until Friday, which was organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in collaboration with the Health Ministry.
Meanwhile, on the programme to return unused medicine, Dr Hasan said the response from the public was very encouraging.
He said, the move was important because the ministry did not want the public to dispose of the medicine themselves because it was worried that it would adversely affect the environment.
If returned, the ministry would be able to dispose of the medicine following the correct procedure, and also conduct a study to find out why the medicine was not used.
"Besides that, if the medicine is still in good condition and still unopened, it would be used, and save on government costs at the same time," he said. – Bernama
SOURCE : THE SUN [ 12 JULY 2011]
TOWARD HEALTHCARE ERA
IBN KHALID ALFATEH
