By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Apr 17: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reassured that the supply of critical medicines in the country, including insulin and vaccines, remains stable and sufficient, says Deputy Director-General of Health (Pharmaceutical Services) Dr Azuana Ramli.
According to Bernama, she said the government has established a task force to carry out continuous monitoring to ensure medicine stock levels nationwide remain stable.
Appearing as a guest on Bernama TV today, she said a committee comprising industry representatives and MOH officials has been established, with industry members providing stock level data that enables the ministry to identify potential supply disruptions at an early stage.
“We can see which stocks are critical, for example, when supply within the chain is down to 60 to 90 days. So, when we know which stocks have issues, we can take action,” she said.
As for insulin supply, Dr Azuana said it is not affected as there are various treatment types and alternative medication options available on the market for patients with diabetes.
“That is why the supply of medicines remains stable and under control. There may be disruptions in the supply chain, but we will take mitigation measures to ensure patients receive treatment by any means necessary,” she said.
Meanwhile, Medical Device Authority (MDA) Chief Executive Officer Dr P. Muralitharan said that medical devices in Malaysia remain sufficient and under control, but monitoring is still being carried out as several categories of devices have begun to experience slight supply shortages.
“Among the devices affected are in vitro diagnostic (IVD) laboratory devices such as test kits and laboratory reagents, but the level of shortage is not significant. This minor disruption also involves consumables such as gloves, face masks, implants, surgical devices, as well as materials used for haemodialysis treatment,” he said.
He said the Special Access Pathway (SAP) allows suppliers to obtain immediate access to medical devices, thereby strengthening the supply chain for the local medical device industry.
SAP is an interim approach that allows devices which have not yet been fully registered to be used, subject to strict evaluation of quality and safety aspects. — DayakDaily
