‘Mechanism must also ensure anti-profiteering’

PETALING JAYA: Pharmacists hope that the government will include price control measures on medicine prices to prevent profiteering.Malaysian Pharmacists Society (MPS) president Amrahi Buang welcomed the Prime Minister’s announcement to ensure more transparency in the mechanism of medicine sales.

Amrahi said the price control measures will ensure there is no profiteering by vested groups at the expense of people needing medicine.

“The mechanism should ensure there isn’t a big gap between the cost price and the sales price. There needs to be some way to ensure anti-profiteering measures are in place because it will allow people to have access to expensive medications at an affordable price.

“Itemised billing should be implemented for people who go to private clinics and hospitals. Presently, patients are unaware of how much they are paying for their medications compared to those who go to community pharmacies or government health clinics,” he said in an interview yesterday.

Amrahi said consumers should also have the option to choose cheaper brands of medications that are available to them, thus making sure that they can continue with their treatment without having to pay more.

In a statement following a meeting of the National Action Council on the Cost of Living (NACCOL), Anwar said the unity government is committed to taking care of the people.

One way it is doing this is by ensuring access to affordable medicine, enabling consumers to make informed decisions based on transparent pricing.

He added that the government’s top priority is to ensure transparency in the sale of medicines for the benefit of the people.

This will be achieved through the implementation of a price display mechanism. The meeting concluded that the matter should be thoroughly studied before making a final decision.

Anwar also said it is important that the direction of chicken and egg price control be finalised to ensure the continuity of the supply chain.

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) chief executive officer, Dr Saravanan Thambirajah, said the temporary measure of implementing a controlled ceiling price for chickens and eggs has helped ease the people’s financial burden.

He said Fomca appreciated the government’s move to ensure that the people have an adequate supply of chickens and eggs in the market.

“That’s why their subsidies have not been removed. Otherwise, there will be problems. It is right to put the floating price mechanism on hold for now, as more people are grappling with higher living expenses,” he added.

While there is no issue with the supply of chickens, Saravanan said the supply of eggs is still inadequate in some places.

On subsidies, he said that while it is understandable that prolonged subsidies are not viable, they should be maintained until the supply of some raw materials stabilises.

“Controlling prices is not only about helping consumers but also supporting small business operators,” he said.

Petty Traders and Hawkers Association president Datuk Rosli Sulaiman said he hoped that the government would introduce ceiling prices for more basic necessities, especially for business operators.

He added that traders are finding it difficult to generate revenue as the prices of some materials have skyrocketed, the costs of which he said may be passed on to consumers.

“There must be a mechanism on how to help traders purchase raw materials at an affordable price.

“If the traders have to spend more money to run their businesses, it would affect the consumers as well. We don’t want this to happen,” he said when contacted.