KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — The prices of medicine will be controlled through a Price Control and Anti-Profiteering (PCAP) Act to ensure even the lowest wage earners can afford to buy them, Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad said today.
The health minister said the PCAP Act, formulated under the Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Ministry, will have a ceiling price on medicine to ensure its affordability.
“The mechanism of control that has been suggested is to put a ceiling price to users in all dispense lines and this is viewed as the most suitable method to do so and in line with international practices.
“This initiative indirectly will be able to streamline the price of medicine and ensure access of affordable medicine to the masses,’’ he said in the Dewan Rakyat.
Dzulkefly was responding to backbencher, Klang MP Charles Santiago who asked the government about its initiatives to ensure the prices of medicine remain affordable.
Subsequently, Charles also asked about government efforts to support local generic medicine producers.
Dzulkefly said the government is ready to help local medicine producers and stated that in 2017, the government procured generic medicine worth RM1,311.8 billion out of which 50.3 per cent was locally produced generic medicine.
