New ruling on service for pharmacists in govt hospitals

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The mandatory service for pharmacists in government hospitals has been reduced to only a year from three previously.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the Cabinet approved the move last month and it would take effect immediately.
He said pharmacist positions in government hospitals were 89% filled compared with just 40% when the three-year compulsory service was introduced in 2004.
“It is high time we allowed them to work in the private sector,” he said after launching the Second Kuala Lumpur Valve Summit yesterday.
Liow said the one-year training period for graduates before starting compulsory service would remain.
Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society president Datuk Nancy Ho said the private sector was facing a shortage of pharmacists and the new policy would help ease the problem.
She said that prior to the implementation of the three-year compulsory service, 60% of pharmacists were in the private sector, but after that, coupled with better working conditions in the public sector, it went down to 50%.
There are currently 8,600 pharmacists in the country.

On another matter, Liow said Malaysians should take note of the need to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer.
He added that NCDs made up two-thirds of all deaths globally, including Malaysia.
“A lot of people take it for granted and the urgency is not there.
“This is a serious matter. NCDs are pande- mic now and we must fight it like how we fight communicable diseases,” he said, add- ing that people must take charge of their health.
On whether the ministry would introduce tax on unhealthy fatty food as Denmark did recently, Liow said: “Malaysia will adopt preventive measures for now.”
Liow expressed hope that Budget 2012 would include funds to upgrade 2,000 community clinics to health clinics as they were needed not only to treat diseases, but also promote preventive measures against NCDs.