Govt withdraw Poisons (Amendment) Bill 2019, no reasons given

 

PARLIAMENT | The government has withdrawn the Poisons (Amendment) Bill 2019 from the order paper in the Third Meeting of the Third Session of the 14th Parliament.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali tabled a motion in the Dewan Rakyat this morning to withdraw the bill, but he did not provide any reasons for the decision.

The bill, which was tabled for first reading at the Dewan Rakyat session on Nov 25 last year, among others, requires registered medical practitioners to issue prescriptions at the request of their patients.

It was argued at the time the amendments is to ensure that patients' rights are protected by giving them the option, after a consultation session, to decide where to fill their prescriptions, whether at the medical facility itself or at an outside pharmacy.

It also provides for a possible jail term for medical practitioners who fail to abide by their patient's request.

The tabling of the second and third reading of the bill had been postponed twice, in December last year and during the previous Dewan Rakyat sitting in August.

The then Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad in December said he had sought a postponement to hear the views and opinions of important stakeholders in improving the bill.

The move follows reported objections from medical practitioners and healthcare industry stakeholders, citing among others, a disproportionate penalty that exceeded provisions under the Medical Act 1971 and Dental Act 1971 that regulates their practice. - Mkini