Raise fees so patients don’t dump their medicines, says MMA

 

A report says millions of ringgit worth of medicines are being thrown into rubbish bins or returned to government hospitals or clinics.

PETALING JAYA: Medical experts have suggested to the government to use electronic medicine records or raise consultation fees to prevent patients from returning their medication or dumping them into the rubbish bin.

A report recently said that millions of ringgit worth of medicines dispensed by government health facilities remain unused by patients, and are thrown away or returned to the hospital or clinic concerned.

It quoted Hospital Kuala Lumpur pharmacist Ishmah Musfirah Nazari as saying unused medicines included those prescribed for hypertension, diabetes, urinary tract infection and constipation, as well as painkillers and health supplements.

At present, Malaysians only need to pay RM1 to see a medical officer or RM5 to see a specialist at any government health facility, with the fee covering the drugs prescribed to them.

Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the fee, being cheap, may not be appreciated by many people.

Saying that he has seen patients throw medicines they got for RM1 on the road, Subramaniam added: “Many patients take the medicines and throw them away or return them to the hospital or clinic, which is rampant. But this does not happen with private hospitals as people have to pay a lot more for their prescriptions.”

Dr Subramaniam Muniandy.

He said MMA has suggested to the government to raise the fee to RM5 to see a doctor and RM20 to consult a specialist.

He also said government specialists should only see patients referred by private general practitioners (GPs) to ensure the patients appreciate the value of money.

“Private GPs are well trained and have worked with the government. They know how to manage patients,” he said, adding that this will also reduce the overload of patients in government clinics and hospitals.

Malaysian Pharmacists Association president Amrahi Buang, who is with University Malaya Medical Centre, said patients were charged according to the amount of medicines taken. Previously, he said, they had to pay RM10 for every additional week of supply.

Amrahi Buang.

Amrahi said sometimes, people go to government clinics and hospitals just to obtain sick leave, and not because they needed treatment for their condition.

He said that according to the World Health Organization, patients discarding medicines was a worldwide phenomena, with 50% of them not taking their medication.

To stop this trend, he said, many countries use electronic medicine records to keep track of a patient’s medicinal list. These records would also stop some patients going “hospital shopping” and ending up collecting a lot of pills.

Amrahi also said pharmacists should “test” the patients when dispensing their medicines. “For subsequent visits, ask the patient or their carer what each particular medicine is for. Test their knowledge to know that they are taking their medication,” he said. - FMT