Private clinics in a bind over vaccine ceiling price

 

Private practitioners may stop providing vaccinations or add on other charges, says a doctor.

PETALING JAYA: The government’s decision to set a ceiling price for Covid-19 vaccines will likely have an adverse effect on supplies to private clinics and force doctors to stop offering jabs, according to two general practitioners.

A GP based in Kuala Lumpur, who spoke to FMT on condition of anonymity, said pharmaceutical wholesalers were interested only in catering to large orders whereas private clinics would order their supplies “as and when needed” in consideration of expiry dates.

“We manage by obtaining smaller quantities for a reasonable price with the help of small wholesalers because we buy vials according to patient registration and not in bulk,” he said.

He said that GPs were paying a premium for the vaccines.

On Jan 13, Putrajaya set a ceiling price for private sales of the Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines. The wholesale price is RM62 for Sinovac and RM48 for Sinopharm. They are retailed at RM77 and RM61, respectively.

The doctor said the minimum order wholesalers traditionally set was 4,000 doses. He said there was no way any GP would be able to buy that amount with cash up front and no refunds.

He also said several wholesalers were selling 80-dose packages of extended expiry date vaccines on eMed Asia – an e-commerce healthcare marketplace – at a price higher than the ceiling set by the government.

“If this goes on, it is safe to say that many private clinics will either stop providing vaccinations or they might start adding on charges, such as administration and inoculation charges, to compensate for the low price,” he said.

Dr Shanmuganathan TV Ganeson, a GP in Bukit Bintang, said those who would bear the burden of ceiling prices would be those buying vaccines in bulk.

“I had a hunch that something like this could happen and I quickly stopped buying vaccines,” he said. “By the time the ceiling price was implemented, I only had about 10 doses.

“Smaller private clinics will most probably not continue their inoculation service and this will only slow down the vaccination rate.”

He also said many wholesalers were trying to clear their old vaccine stocks by selling at a higher price than regulated by the health ministry.

Malaysian Medical Association president Dr Koh Kar Chai said private clinics were generally not in a position to avail themselves of bulk purchase pricing, which can be lower.

“Hence, they will definitely feel the burden with the introduction of ceiling prices.”

He said setting a ceiling price was acceptable as long as prior notification was given to allow time for disposal of existing inventory to help clinics avoid losses.

“The ceiling prices must be realistic enough and based on the purchase cost of the vaccine,” he added. - FMT