Some government health facilities in Selangor don’t seem to have an adequate supply of certain medication, forcing pharmacists to dispense these medications sparingly.
Several patients reached out to Twentytwo13 after being forced to settle for smaller quantities of medication.
The two medicines in question are Simvastatin and Cardiprin. Simvastatin is commonly used to lower bad cholesterol levels (LDL-C) and fats (triglycerides) in the blood. Cardiprin is used to treat high blood pressure as well as prevent angina.
“The pharmacists kept apologising, saying I would have to return here to collect the medication once it’s finished. I take these medications daily, and this time around I got only two weeks’ worth of supply,” said a patient of a Klinik Kesihatan Ampang in Selangor, who only wanted to be identified as Lim, 79.
“During my recent visit, I was also informed that there was no Cardiprin.”
Another patient also complained of the same, adding she used to get two months’ supply, and was recently left with only two weeks’ supply of Simvastatin.
“I used to get medication for two months, and it was then reduced to one month’s worth of supply. The excuse by the pharmacists then was that there wasn’t enough stock,” said the patient, who identified herself as Rohana, 73.
“Now it’s been further reduced to only two weeks of medication. Apparently, there’s a shortage issue, according to the pharmacist.
“It’s a predicament, especially for senior citizens.”
Another senior citizen from Subang Jaya who wished to be known as Cindy, said she too, was unable to get her full supply of high-blood pressure medication.
“I usually get two months’ supply of medication when I visit Klinik Kesihatan Puchong, in Batu 14, Selangor, but during my recent visit, I was given only one month’s supply,” said 60-year-old Cindy.
“The pharmacist said there was no stock for the Covasc 10mg tablet. This is not the first time, it has happened before,” she said.
Twentytwo13 learnt that “the company providing these medications was facing supply issues”, and there’s been a shortage of medication since August.
Twentytwo13 has reached out to the Health Ministry for clarification.
