KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 – A pharmacists’ group today called on the Ministry of Health (MOH) to extend the contracts of government pharmacists that will end in December, pending a solution to increase the number of permanent positions.
Malaysian Pharmaceutical Society (MPS) president Amrahi Buang said in a statement that there is still no concrete news from MOH on the fate of these pharmacists who started government service back in December 2016.
“These pharmacists are still very passionate and keen to continue servicing the rakyat as well the country,” said Amrahi.
“Ever since the compulsory service had been introduced in the public sector since the year 2004, pharmacy services have expanded year after year to include value added services such as medication counselling, home medication review (HMR), Medication Therapy Adherence Clinic (MTAC), Methadone Replacement Therapy, Drive Through Pharmacy, Medicines by Post, Locker to You and Know Your Medicines programme have been established to provide a greater pharmacy services for the rakyat.
“These contract pharmacists served the country well and should be seen as an asset to the country. And their services are crucially required to deliver the MOH’s vision and mission whereby primary care is the main focus of the ministry,” he added.
MPS is said to have received many appeals from the pharmacy officers, in hope that their contracts will be extended while waiting for the availability of a permanent position.
Doctors, pharmacists, and dentists were no longer guaranteed permanent employment in the public sector since 2017 due to a glut of medical students, even as government hospitals struggle with a lack of specialists.
