KUALA LUMPUR – The public hospitals in the country are facing a supply disruption of selected medicine due to Covid-19 and international pandemic-induced measures, according to an internal circular sighted by The Vibes.
The memo said the high demand for Covid-19 treatment nationwide has led to a severe drug shortage, exacerbated by lockdown restrictions in various countries that, in turn, have affected the supply chain.
The August 4 internal circular was signed by Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital (HRPB) Pharmaceutical Department head Normi Kamaruzaman.
“Suppliers have not been informed when stocks will be replenished for most of the medicine, and all medical facilities in the country are directly affected.”
In HRPB’s case, drugs in the appendix are at “critical levels and not enough to meet increasing demand during the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Normi.
She said the hospital has implemented various measures “such as borrowing from other facilities and procuring from external sources. But there is not enough stock”.
“In fact, stock levels in certain facilities in other states are far more critical than this hospital.”
Normi advised prescribers at the hospital in Ipoh, Perak, to understand the supply shortage and work with her department to execute “a contingency plan” to deal with the situation.
“Any information or suggestion of alternative treatment by the prescriber is welcomed, so alternative medicine can be procured as quickly as possible.”
The drug shortage comes amid a collapse of the healthcare system in the country, as the Delta variant continues to push infection and death rates up.
To make matters worse, Putrajaya has been bungling containment measures with selected public hospitals being overrun with Covid-19 patients.
Some health facilities, such as the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital in Klang, have shut down outpatient services, but still struggle to cope with virus patients due to a shortage of equipment.
Doctors, too, are overworked with some reported to have quit within 24 hours.
Lawmakers have been calling for a bullet injection fund – some to the tune of RM20 million – but Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s government has yet to accede to such requests.
Malaysia reported 20,596 fresh Covid-19 infections today. – The Vibes, August 5, 2021
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