Pharmacists' Fees

With reference to the report entitled “Pharmacists seek RM5 per visit” (New Straits Times, 28 July 2012), the Ministry of Health is cognizant of the integral role played by pharmacists in the provision of healthcare in this country. Previously, pharmacists were mainly involved in the manufacturing, quality control and supply of medicines.

Today, this has changed and pharmacists are actively involved in patient focused services and it is not uncommon for community pharmacists to provide services such as advice on the management of minor ailments, medication counselling, smoking cessation and weight management programs.

In most countries, pharmacists are paid a professional fee based on the services provided and the types of drugs dispensed.

Currently, there is no standardised fee schedule in Malaysia for pharmacists unlike for doctors and dentists.

For this to happen, there are several things which need to be put in place such as a fair drug pricing system, standardisation of service provision and a monitoring system by the government and the professional body itself.

Accreditation of community pharmacies against benchmarking standards has already been initiated through collaboration between the Ministry of Health, the Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society and the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health to ensure that they consistently deliver a high standard of care.

The Ministry is also in the process of developing a medicines pricing system through which there will be uniformity in medicine charges.

The introduction of mandatory continuing professional education will also help to ensure that practising pharmacists are equipped with up-to-date knowledge and that they provide the best standards of care to their clients.

The Ministry of Health will ensure that the public is not burdened when they seek professional help at the pharmacy and any form of remuneration is in line with fair medicines pricing and the provision of quality pharmaceutical services.

Dato’ Eisah Binti A. Rahman

Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Services

Ministry of Health Malaysia

sumber

Malaysian Pharmacy student's Association (MyPSA)