Way back in October 2011, I wrote this. In just 6 years, the government reversed their decision from a 4 year compulsory service for pharmacist to 2 years ( including 1 year internship). The reason was obvious that the government was running out of post. Yesterday, our government has further liberalised the situation by allowing fresh graduate pharmacist to do their internship in private sector! It was reported here and attached below. It is a clear indication that the government is not being able to provide a job for all pharmacy graduates like before. Would the same situation happen to doctors soon? Only time will tell.
Personally, what are these pharmacists going to learn from private retail pharmacy stores? Who is going to guide them ? Are they going to become a mere shopkeeper? At least if they are given a job in a private hospitals, there are senior people and doctors who may be of help in their training. I seriously feel that our entire medical system is going down the drain with poor planning, inadequate training and with a “license to kill”………….. Would they soon ask private hospitals to conduct housemanship training? Well, being in bolehland, nothing is impossible!
Whatever said, we still need a lot of pharmacists in rural areas. This is the reason the government is mulling special incentives for pharmacies to be set up in rural areas. This was also reported 2 days ago over here ( see below). Right at the end of the news, it is mentioned that we will achieve the WHO pharmacy to population ratio of 1:2000 by 2016! Sounds familiar? what happens after that? Jobless pharmacist?
The Malaysian Pharmacy Society has already started the zoning system in preparation for the 1Care system. I had written about this over here and it is also mentioned below.
So, can anyone still deny that doctors can become jobless? We are just producing too many graduates in every field. The private colleges are having a field time producing half baked graduates for the sake of money……………. The realisation is simply tooooooo late!!
Ministry relaxes pharmacists’ training scope
Pharmaceutical services senior director Datuk Eisah Abdul Rahman said through the liberalisation process, pharmacy graduates can now go through their training outside of government hospitals and facilities.
“They can undergo their PRP training at private pharmacy facilities, such as private hospitals, industries, in research and development and community pharmacies,” she said at the opening of Cosway’s 100th pharmacy store in Bandar Sri Damansara, here, yesterday.
The compulsory training introduced in 2004 was also shortened from a three-year period to only one year and was made effective in September 2011.
The move, she said, was to encourage local pharmacists to get involved in the private pharmaceutical sector.
“We welcome applications from community pharmacies to be listed as training facilities for graduates.
“Those interested will have to get recognition through the accreditation of community pharmacy programme under the Malaysian Pharmacy Board.”
Eisah said the premises must also fulfil the rules and regulations set in the 2011 Community Pharmacy Benchmarking Guidelines.
As of Jan 31, the current pharmacist-people ratio stood at 1:2,947, with a total number of 10,250 pharmacists registered in the country.
The opening of the 100th Cosway pharmacy store was attended by Berjaya Group founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Cosway Corporation chief executive officer Al Chuah.
Read more: Ministry relaxes pharmacists’ training scope – General – New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/ministry-relaxes-pharmacists-training-scope-1.224323#ixzz2M0yeMb6E
Health Ministry mulls incentives for opening community pharmacies
Liow in his speech text that was read by the Health Ministry’s Pharmaceutical services division senior director Datuk Eisah A Rahman, said according to the ministry’s statistics, there were 10,006 registered pharmacies and 1,834 community pharmacies throughout the country.
The concentration of community pharmacies is in Selangor (where there are 433 pharmacies), Penang (213), Kuala Lumpur (201) and Johor (157).
Realising the lack of pharmacies in rural areas and the inequitable distribution, the Health Ministry was looking into a zoning system to distribute pharmacies accordingly in urban and rural areas so that the people would not be deprived of such facilities, Liow said.
To ensure an equitable distribution of pharmacies in the country, the ministry and the Malaysian Pharmacy Association had developed the Malaysian Healthcare Providers Mapping Service.
Currently, the ratio of pharmacists to the population in Malaysia is 1:2,947 people and by 2016 it is expected to reach the optimum ratio of 1:2,000 people set by the World Health Organisation. – Bernama
Move to increase pharmacies in rural areas
By WONG PEK MEI
pekmei@thestar.com.my
Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said this would encourage the private sector to open more community pharmacies in these areas.
“This is to combat the problem of insufficient number of community pharmacies, especially in rural areas,” said Liow in his speech during the launch of the 100th Cosway pharmacy store at Bandar Sri Daman-sara yesterday.
His speech was read out by the ministry’s Pharmaceutical Services Division senior director Datuk Eisah A. Rahman.
Liow said statistics showed that there were only 1,834 community pharmacies in the country.
“The ministry views seriously the uneven distribution of community pharmacies, most of which are mushrooming in city areas,” he said.
He added that it had worked together with the Malaysian Phar-maceutical Society to develop the Malaysian Healthcare Providers Mapping Service.
The service, which displayed 10 types of healthcare service providers, would allow patients to find out the location of the nearest pharmacies as well as hospitals and clinics, he said.
The service, he added, was also used by the ministry to implement “zoning” as a way of improving the distribution of pharmacies in both urban and rural areas to make it easier for people to access medicine.
Later, Eisah told reporters that a community pharmacy was a retail pharmacy which also provided services such as a pharmacist offering consumer advice on proper medication, dosage and precautions.
“It could be owned by individuals or a group of companies,” she said, adding that through “zoning”, the ministry could better control the distribution of pharmacies by referring to the mapping service.
“Before anyone wants to open a pharmacy, he or she will need to get the division’s approval. So, if the particular location requested for has other pharmacies, we will advise them to consider different places,” she said, adding that there would also be less competition.
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Dr. I am interested in taking up Pharmacy course but not sure whether to study in Monash University Australia or Nottingham University Malaysia. Hope you can give me some advise. I do intend to work in overseas one day. Thank you
If you intend to migrate, then go to Monash University Australia.
Dr. I am a fresh graduate from the uni of Nottingham. Currently the PRP positions are limited in the government sector and I have been jobless for 8 months now. What do you suggest I should do?
Hi Dr., I am interesting in taking up Pharmacy course but is still deciding between Taylor’s University or UCSI University. Really appreciate your advise. Thank you.