Malaysian Doctors Protest At Drug Price Rises

8 October 1995

Malaysian doctors have called on the Health Ministry to stop the "astronomical" rise in the prices of controlled drugs, following the privatization of the Government Medical Store.

Michael Khor, president of the private doctors' federation, said the cost of two painkillers, morphine and pethidine, had risen over 60 times following the conversion of the GMS to Remedi Pharmaceuticals Sdn Bhd last December, but the rise had been cut to three times after appeals to the ministry. The price of pethidine (50mg) was raised from 137.30 ringgits ($54.27) to 1,000 ringgits ($395.80), but cut to 230 ringgits after appeal. 100mg of pethidine went up from 167.30 ringgits to 1,400 ringgits but was cut to 350 ringgits. Nevertheless, he said, the prices were still too high. The federation could accept rises in line with inflation, now about 3.5%, but anything beyond that was unacceptable.

The president of the Malaysian Medical Association, Datuk McCoy, said the government should play a more active role in monitoring and checking rising health care costs. Price controls would have cut the 22 billion-ringgit 1991 drugs and medical supplies bill, he said, adding that as Malaysia is one of the few countries with no drug price controls, they rise annually.

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