CAP calls for separation of roles in dispensing of medication

GEORGE TOWN, March 19 ― Penang Consumers Association (CAP) wants a separation of roles for doctors and pharmacists when it comes to dispensing of medication to ensure safety of consumers.

Amid objections by doctors and the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) against the proposed dispensing separation, CAP president SM Mohamed Idris said emphasis must be on the safety of the patients.

“Medication safety must be of paramount importance and be the main consideration when making a decision on dispensing separation,” he said in a press conference at the CAP office here.

Dispensing separation involves separating the functions of clinics and pharmacies where doctors will only give prescriptions while patients will have to get their them filled by pharmacists.

Mohamed Idris said the current practice where private doctors prescribe and dispense medicines does not have a safety mechanism to check the accuracy of the prescriptions.

He said there must be a form of screening and checking of prescriptions before the medicines are given to consumers such as the common practice in government healthcare facilities.

“Only by separating the prescribing and dispensing of medication can there be a check and balance mechanism for consumer's safety,” he said.

However, before implementing the dispensing separation, he said it must be carefully planned and carried out in a systematic manner.

It should start with the urban areas where there are a sufficient number of pharmacies to clinics, he said.

For this system to work, he called on Putrajaya to implement a price control for medicines.

“There should be price control for medicines which are essential for the sick,” he said.

On concerns that dispensing separation would lead to monopolies in the pharmaceutical sector, he said this can be resolved through legal checks.

He said MMA and the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society should monitor their members to ensure they adhere to a strict code of conduct and practice.

The dispensing separation proposal was first made by the Malaysian Community Pharmacy Guild (MCPG) in 2008.

The proposal is still under discussion and yet to be approved by the Health Ministry.

Last month, MMA released a statement saying it won't be implemented as the Pharmacy Act is yet to be tabled.