KUALA LUMPUR, July 8 — The Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society today demanded that Putrajaya reveal the contents of the Pharmacy Bill which has been in the works since last year, by removing it from Official Secrets Act (OSA) classification.
In a statement, MPS president Amrahi Buang questioned if the government intends to proceed with the bill.
“We have not heard anything about the Pharmacy Bill since September last year,” he said.
The Bill was first mooted as an effort to provide pharmacists with the exclusive right to dispense medication, but it was reported last September that the bill would allow both doctors and pharmacists to dispense medication.
Current Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad previously said that the Bill could include provisions to regulate prices of drugs in the private market.
“We are unsure what is stated in the Bill and will only know once it’s brought to Parliament,” Amrahi added.
He also urged that pharmacists be allowed to play a bigger role in national healthcare, and not limited to just dispensing medicines.
