KUALA LUMPUR: More than half of the medication dispensed in public hospitals and clinics is generic, the Health Ministry revealed.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said the government prioritised the use of generic medicines but only after they were checked and approved. He also noted that generic medications were safe for use.
“We use up to 58 per cent of generic medicines now while the rest is innovator or original ones.
"The government assures that the medicines it buys are good and tested, and not just bought without careful consideration.
"There are three classes of medicine bought from abroad but we only buy those that we have checked," he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Hilmi (BN-Balik Pulau) said this in response to a question from G. Manivannan (PKR-Kapar) on generic medications being given to patients at government hospitals despite concerns of harmful side effects.
He said there had been complaints from patients on the decreasing amount of medications dispensed at government hospitals but said this was to address wastages.
“It is true that we used to provide up to three months’ worth of medication to patients, and we have now reduced that to one month’s worth to curb wastage.
“There is no issue of the government taking risks by reducing the quality of medicine as all medications were checked before they were purchased,"he said.
Before medications that enter the country, Hilmi said, they must first be studied and it would take up to 245 working days before they are approved.
He also revealed that the ministry found that out of 244 types of medications, the prices for 83 of them had increased while the other 131 have gone down.
"The ministry is carrying out various measures to ensure the fair pricing (of the medicines) including price monitoring and th provision of price lists on pharmacy websites for consumer reference," he added.