Govt Hospital Going To Another Business??

Just wondering when reading this. Is this just another excuses for them to make another kind of business here. Yes that right, this is a very big business mates. When something necessary for ALL (but not ALL can afford it right), we put pricetag on it. Even we just only can afford the generic one. Sorry if Im too sceptical on this. Any feedback out there??

From Utusan Online

Cadangan henti ubat percuma - Pesakit diminta membeli di kedai ubat hospital awam atau farmasi swasta

KUALA LUMPUR 10 Dis. - Kementerian Kesihatan bercadang menghentikan pemberian percuma ubat-ubat berharga murah tertentu kepada pesakit dan sebaliknya meminta mereka membelinya dari kedai ubat atau farmasi swasta.

Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Dr. Abd. Latiff Ahmad berkata, untuk percubaan, farmasi swasta akan diwujudkan di Hospital Putrajaya dan Selayang bagi memudahkan pesakit apabila diminta membeli ubat tertentu yang tidak lagi dibekalkan oleh hospital berkenaan.

``Akan tiba masanya rakyat Malaysia perlu membeli ubat mereka sendiri,'' katanya selepas merasmikan Persidangan Saintifik ke-6 Mahasiswa Pergigian di Universiti Malaya di sini hari ini.

Difahamkan, antara ubat yang paling banyak diberikan kepada pesakit hospital awam ialah paracetamol (ubat demam) dan ubat penahan sakit, piriton (selesema) yang mana kos ubat berkenaan kurang daripada 10 sen setiap biji.

Menurutnya, keperluan ubat-ubatan rakyat negara ini bagi setiap tahun berjumlah RM1.2 bilion.

``Daripada jumlah tersebut, lebih separuh atau RM800 juta ditanggung oleh kerajaan melalui Kementerian Kesihatan,'' katanya.

Dr. Abd Latiff berkata, kementerian akan mengawal harga ubat yang dijual farmasi berkenaan supaya tiada pihak akan mengambil kesempatan dengan mengenakan harga yang tinggi.

Selain itu amalan doktor di hospital kerajaan yang memberikan ubat secara berlebihan dan tidak perlu kepada pesakit juga akan dihentikan bagi mengelakkan pembaziran.

``Oleh itu kita ingatkan mereka (doktor) agar lebih berhati-hati ketika memberi ubat supaya tidak membazir,'' ujarnya.

Katanya, langkah ini terpaksa diambil kerana kerajaan terpaksa menanggung kos yang tinggi dalam menyediakan kemudahan kesihatan untuk rakyat.

Menurutnya, sebagai contoh, bekalan ubatan untuk seorang pesakit diabetis ialah RM2,000 sebulan.

Walaupun begitu beliau menegaskan, rakyat miskin tidak perlu bimbang kerana kerajaan akan terus memberikan kemudahan perubatan percuma kepada mereka yang tidak berkemampuan.

From The Star

Prevent wastage of medicine, doctors advised

BY K. PARKARAN

KUALA LUMPUR: Some doctors in public hospitals overprescribe medicine or give a longer course of treatment which results in wastage, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said.

He said there must be a serious commitment on the part of government doctors and hospital administrators to check this trend as a substantial amount of money could be saved.

Dr Latiff said his statement on the matter should not be misconstrued as “disturbing the clinical liberty of doctors in public hospitals.”

“Instead of giving 10 tablets, they would give 20. There is a lot of wastage. What I am saying is that if a patient comes with a simple respiratory tract infection and suffers from fever, cough and running nose, most doctors prescribe a two-day treatment with no antibiotics.

“However, some of them prescribe five days of treatment with antibiotics even for a viral infection. There is normally no need for antibiotics here. Only in exceptional cases do you give antibiotics,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Dr Latiff said that three days of medicine were wasted in such cases, adding that the Government spent some RM800mil a year to subsidise the cost of drugs for patients, who pay only RM1 for all drugs prescribed by doctors at government hospitals or clinics.

“For instance, patients with hypertension or diabetes need a three-month supply of medicine for which they only pay RM1. They will not appreciate it,” he said, adding that some patients would ask for the medicine again when they lose it.

Citing another example, he said patients suffering from hypertension were sometimes given three types of drugs even when it was not necessary.

He said one was to relax the muscles of the vessels, another for the kidney and the third for the brain, adding that only certain cases needed all three drugs.

Dr Latiff said that for a patient suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, medication for two months could easily cost about RM2,000 if medicines were overprescribed.

“Doctors could save the Government RM1,000 if they put in some effort in prescribing the appropriate medicine,” he said.

He said that during the recession in 1997, the Government had to reduce funds for drugs and hospitals “tailored” their needs according to the money available by cutting down on overprescription.

“I am sure this can be done now. We need to educate our doctors on this,” he said.

Dr Latiff emphasised that whatever is done to save costs would not be at the expense of quality treatment for the people, especially because most of those seeking treatment at public hospitals were from the lower-income group.

From Berita Harian

Doktor usah preskripsi ubat berlebihan

KUALA LUMPUR: Doktor diminta tidak mempreskripsikan ubat secara berlebihan kepada pesakit bagi membendung masalah pembaziran ubat, kata Timbalan Menteri Kesihatan, Datuk Dr Abd Latiff Ahmad.

Beliau berkata, kerajaan terpaksa mengambil langkah itu berikutan berlaku pembaziran ubat yang diberi doktor kerana pesakit tidak menghabiskan ubat berkenaan sebaik sembuh dan kembali semula ke hospital atau klinik.

“Kami sedar rakyat tidak menghargai ihsan kerajaan membelanjakan lebih RM800 juta setahun untuk perubatan mereka yang hanya perlu membayar RM1 saja ketika mengunjungi hospital atau klinik kerajaan.

“Contohnya ubat penyakit kencing manis dan tekanan darah tinggi untuk tiga bulan boleh mencecah lebih RM2,000 dan jika tidak dihabiskan, ia adalah pembaziran. Kita boleh menjimatkan duit yang digunakan itu untuk bentuk perubatan lain.

“Bagaimanapun, pesakit tidak boleh dipersalahkan sepenuhnya kerana adalah menjadi tanggungjawab doktor mempreskripsikan ubat dengan jumlah berpatutan dan mengikut keperluan,” katanya selepas merasmi-kan Persidangan Saintifik ke-6 Mahasiswa Pergigian, Fakulti Pergigian Universiti Malaya di sini, semalam.

Katanya, Kementerian Kesihatan akan menasihat dan menyedarkan doktor di hospital dan klinik kerajaan supaya memberikan ubat mengikut keperluan kepada pesakit dan tidak untuk tempoh yang lama.

Mengenai rancangan kerajaan mewujudkan farmasi swasta di hospital kerajaan seperti diumumkan Menteri Kesihatan Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek, Abd Latiff berkata, ia diumumkan apabila tiba masanya kelak.

Katanya, apabila farmasi swasta diwujudkan pesakit perlu membeli sendiri ubat mereka mengikut preskripsi doktor.

Beliau berkata, ia masih di peringkat cadangan dan dijangka dilaksanakan di Hospital Putrajaya dan Hospital Selayang sebagai percubaan sebaik kerajaan membuat keputusan.

Abd Latiff berkata, harga ubat di farmasi swasta itu akan dikawal dan diseragamkan supaya pesakit membeli ubat dengan harga berpatutan, manakala sistem khas akan diperkenalkan untuk pesakit miskin dan berpendapatan rendah.

Katanya, membeli ubat di farmasi bukan perkara baru bagi sebahagian rakyat Malaysia dan pelaksanaan sistem baru juga antara langkah membendung pembaziran ubat.

But someone from MOH can please answer this dubiuos question on behalf the rest of "pesakit miskin dan berpendapatan rendah Malaysia":

If we will pay more just because of other's uneducated act.(overprescribe and wasted). We dont talk about moron here. They're doctor right?

Who will then monitor that pharmacy pricelist... even now we dont ever have any standard pricelist. (no need to mention of ceiling price, hehehe). Who will check it. Is it someone from MOH or Pharmaceutical Services Division or even KPDNHEP?

Is that true, at that time we'll give generic (cheap one - cap ayam) for FREE then the original you need to pay. Or vice versa?

So, who need to be educate here, patients (consumer), doctors, pharmacies or minister medicines manufactures (capitalist)?
Someone need to help me on this. Now Im getting confuse. Are we ready really serious for this.