Pharmacists criticize govt's 'self-dispensing' policy<\/p>\n
YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Association of Indonesian Pharmaceutical
\nManufacturers here criticized the government's \"self-dispensing\"
\npolicy, saying it threatened the existence of drug distributors
\nand drugstores.<\/p>\n
The policy, which will see general practitioners directly
\nprovide generic drugs to their patients, has no sound basis if it
\nis meant to help lower the retail prices of generic drugs,
\naccording to the association.<\/p>\n
The association claimed that prices of generic drugs were
\nalready low enough and that there was ample supply in the market.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, direct provision of medicines by doctors will not
\nnecessarily lower drug prices,\" the association's secretary-
\ngeneral, Mudji Rahadi, said here yesterday.<\/p>\n
Last week, the Ministry of Health endorsed the self-dispensing
\npolicy as a measure to cut the prices of generic drugs, which
\nhave seen a 150 percent hike since the monetary crisis hit the
\ncountry in July last year.<\/p>\n
Prices of patent drugs have reportedly increased by up to 300
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Generic drugs account for about 80 percent of prescribed
\nmedications.<\/p>\n
Mudji argued that another weak point of the policy was that
\nalthough self-dispensing may apply only to generic drugs, in
\npractice there was no guarantee that doctors would not prescribe
\ntrade mark drugs which would still increase the cost of
\nmedicines.<\/p>\n
Mudji said the association could tolerate the self-dispensing
\npolicy as long as it was applied only in remote areas where
\ndrugstores were too far away for patients to reach.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Yogyakarta branch of the
\nIndonesian Doctors Association (IDI), Adam Suyadi, said not all
\ndoctors agreed with the self-dispensing policy.<\/p>\n
\"There are doctors who feel burdened since it means they will
\nhave to store their own drugs and other pharmaceutical equipment.<\/p>\n
\"A doctor's job is to diagnose, not dispense drugs,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The central board of IDI in Jakarta on Monday expressed
\nsupport for the policy, saying it could significantly reduce the
\nprice of drugs. (23)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pharmacists-criticize-govts-self-dispensing-policy-1447893297",
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