Penguang lauds new medicine dispensation arrangement
SIBU: The move to allow patients in major cities’ health clinics to collect medicine after receiving their short message service ( SMS) notification and dispatch medicine to patients’ homes through Pos Laju is a step in the right direction.
“This is a good move in order to ease the congestion and the long waiting time for the patients especially in the clinics in the cities and big towns.....provided that the clinics have sufficient manpower to deliver their services effectively and efficiently.
“Appointments don’t mean anything if they can’t do so,” Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil opined.
The Marudi assemblyman was commenting on Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S Subramaniam’s statement that health clinics in major cities were to allow patients to collect medicine after receiving their SMS notification earlier and dispatch medicine to patients’ homes through Pos Laju as a means of slashing long queues at these clinics.
Subramaniam reportedly said the collection and dispatch of medicine in this way would only be possible for patients who just had to collect their diminishing medicine and had no necessity to see a doctor.
Another way to overcome the congestion at health clinics in major cities was to make an appointment for the patient to see the doctor, either in the morning, afternoon or evening, he was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Science Research and Biotechnology Dr Annuar Rapaee opined that the government should also look into reducing the burden among the rural folks apart from easing congestion at clinics.
According to Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Hilmi Yahaya’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat recently, the Health Ministry was limiting the supply of medicines to patients from three months to one month to combat wastage.
On this, the Nangka assemblyman suggested that the government worked out an effective mechanism to deliver medicines to patients following the move to reduce the supply of medicines from three months to one month.
Dr Annuar said this was to reduce the hassle and cost incurred by patients, especially those from rural areas for having to come more frequently to the hospital to obtain their supplies.