Pharmacists call for drug price display rule to include supply chain
Malaysian Pharmacists Society president Amrahi Buang said pricing transparency empowered the people to take control of their health. (Freepik pic)
PETALING JAYA : The Malaysian Pharmacists Society has backed a law compelling private healthcare facilities to display prices of medicines and called for the policy to be extended across the whole supply chain.
MPS president Amrahi Buang said pricing transparency empowered the people to take control of their health, which was why it stood with the coalition of 21 consumer associations in support of the government's policy.
Amrahi Buang.
But such 'transparency' is also needed across the whole supply chain to discourage anti-competitive behaviour and protect the standards of practice, he said.
'We believe that information is power and by sharing it, we can deliver a more sustainable healthcare system,' Amrahi said in a statement.
Private general practitioners (GPs) have been against the mandatory display of drug prices under a law unrelated to the health sector.
Earlier this month, over 200 GPs gathered to protest the policy near the Prime Minister's Office. The gathering was organised by the Malaysian Medical Association's (MMA) private general medical practitioners section.
MMA has repeatedly said it is not against the mandatory drug price display rule in itself but its implementation under a non-health related law.
The doctors argue that the rule should fall under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998, not the Price Control and Anti-Profiteering Act 2011.
In February, MPS had joined the calls for implementation of the policy to be deferred.
The society's call for the mandatory price display policy to be extended to include the whole supply chain is among the 10 proposals submitted to the prime minister. This is aimed at strengthening the role of independent community pharmacies.
Other proposals include a national health financing scheme, a mandatory prescription policy and regulation of online and cross-border medicine sales.
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