Materia Medica Malaysiana

Private sector may face reverse effect: Sabah, Malaysia -- News Headlines
Papar: The Sabah Pharmaceutical Society fears the move to have newly-registered pharmacists serve the Government for three years would have a reverse effect on the private sector.

Its President, Chung Ke Chun, said with the new ruling taking effect tentatively early next year, there would be an acute shortage of pharmacists in the private sector for the next four years.

“In a few years to come, there will be no new pharmacists coming into the job market as no more new graduates will be filling up posts.

“Subsequently, it will slow down the opening of a community pharmacy or retail pharmacies around the country,” he said here, Wednesday.

Chung feels the shortage is inevitable given that the Government will absorb all new pharmacists into the public sector for a three-year housemanship before they are eligible for registration with the Pharmacy Board.

Nevertheless, the association supports the Government’s move as they understand and recognise the reason why the Government is introducing the compulsory service to provide good pharmaceutical care to patients.

“We also agree with the Health Minister Datuk Chua Jui Meng that the compulsory service would make pharmacists more competent which definitely will help them in their future career in the pharmacy field,” said Chung.

“They would gain priceless experience in many areas which are not available to them in the private sector such as in regulatory, community (healthcare) and clinical pharmacy (fields), among others.”

To a question 0n why pharmacists appear to shy away from the public sector, Chung said this had to do with the private sector offering better remuneration.

“Low pay is one of the reasons why a majority of pharmacists would favour the private sector which pays much better.

“So the only way to make them serve longer in the public sector is by imposing the compulsory service. Then the pharmacists will be sent to smaller towns and districts to serve,” he asserted.

On Tuesday, Chua announced that the Cabinet gave its approval last month to amend the Registration of Pharmacists Act 1951 to set a new ruling which would take effect next year after the proposed amendments are tabled at the next parliamentary sitting.

Under the existing law, a pharmacy graduate must undergo a year’s housemanship in an institution recognised by the Pharmacy Board before he can be eligible to register with the board.

Of the 3,234 pharmacists practising in the country, only 583 or 18 per cent are employed in the public sector.