THE Ministry of Health (MOH) has assured that every public hospital and clinic under its supervision is required to have an internal buffer stock for at least three months to ensure it is not affected.
Deputy Minister of Health, Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib, said MOH is closely monitoring the supply chain of medicines at the local and international levels, especially when faced with the uncertainty of the global geopolitical situation.
She said MOH is working closely with pharmaceutical companies and suppliers to monitor stock holdings according to the level of supply chain risk.
"For low-risk category medicines, suppliers have stock holdings of more than three months, while the medium-risk category has around two months, and the high-risk category has at least one month.
"If there is a supply disruption for a brand, the hospital will provide replacement medicines from other brands that have the same formulation and therapeutic function," she said.
She said this when answering a supplementary question from Senator Baharuddin Ahmad regarding the security of the supply of medicines at public health facilities in the Dewan Negara session today.
Commenting further, Hanifah stressed that in the event of a critical supply situation, expedited procurement actions will be immediately implemented to ensure that medical services and treatment for the people are always guaranteed. – July 28, 2026
