Thai pharmacists demand Drug Bill withdrawn

[webfact]

Pharmacists demand Drug Bill withdrawn

By THE NATION

 

 

Insist revisions required, threaten FDA.

 

MORE THAN 10 pharmacist networks are demanding that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) withdraw a draft bill from the ongoing legislative process.

 

Prepared by the FDA, the Drug Bill has already been submitted to the Cabinet. Pharmacists, however, complain that the bill contains contentious points and needs revision. 

 

“The FDA distorted our opinions when it proposed the Drug Bill to the Cabinet,” Suchita Kulthawaiporn said yesterday in her capacity as chair of the Southern Pharmacist Club. 

 

Suchita said the FDA has wrongly told the Cabinet that her club endorsed the bill. 

 

 

“If you go ahead with the current version, we will upgrade our protest,” Suchita warned. 

 

Community Pharmacy Association of Thailand’s board member Jaranwit sae Pua said the draft bill’s process of gathering opinions was flawed. 

 

“Every time it was submitted to a forum, the details changed,” he said. 

 

He added that when the draft reached the Cabinet, its details again changed from that seen at the last forum, which was held in July. 

Suchita said the current version of the Drug Bill would not offer sufficient protection for people.

 

According to Jaranwit, the bill – if approved – would allow people without adequate knowledge to prescribe drugs and thus put the public at risk.

 

Many pharmacists suspect that the current drug law has been designed to pave the way for diploma-holders to prescribe drugs at convenience stores without the presence of professional pharmacists.

 

Prasit Wongnijjasin, president of Khon Kaen Pharmacy Club joined pharmacists from various state hospitals yesterday to demand the right for pharmacists to take control of revising and improving the draft law.

 

 

The FDA has so far said it will revise the bill based on comments from pharmacists. “Actually, the FDA and pharmacist networks have the same ideas. But when the draft law is interpreted article by article, there may be some discrepancies,” FDA secretary-general Tares Krassanairawiwong said earlier this week. “On those points, we can revise the Drug Bill in consultation with the Council of State.”

 

He said that while the bill would allow pharmacies to operate without pharmacists, that permission would be granted only to about 2,800 existing pharmacies and the permission would not last beyond the life of the pharmacies’ current licence holders.

 

Tares said the draft law’s mention of such pharmacies might upset pharmacists, who are worried that this will also allow convenience stores to easily sell drugs. 

 

“We can address those concerns by stipulating clearly that the permission [to operate without pharmacists] will only be granted to pharmacies that already exist,” he said. 

 

Thailand had traditionally suffered from a shortage of qualified pharmacists, so it began allowing some pharmacies to be operated by diploma holders. 

 

However, today there are more than 30,000 pharmacists in the nation and their networks have been firm against any plan to allow new pharmacies to operate without trained pharmacists. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30356740

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-19

[ReMarKable]

Seems crazy.  What kind of diploma do these non-pharmacists have to have: BS, BA. B Ed to provide prescription medication at 7-11?  Do they have to read a pharmacy primer at least?

[Chris Lawrence]

And you can duck down to the local Butcher for an amputation! 

 

What is the intent of the Bill? The OP is an example of very lame reporting. It doesn't detail the problem until the 10th paragraph. And then it is still half arsed in trying to explain the problem.

[hansnl]

1 hour ago, ReMarKable said:

Seems crazy.  What kind of diploma do these non-pharmacists have to have: BS, BA. B Ed to provide prescription medication at 7-11?  Do they have to read a pharmacy primer at least?

Crazy?

Yes, of course.

It is all about money.

The non pharmacists want a piece of the cake, the pharmacists want to keep it all.

On the other hand, pharmacists have something the others don't have, knowledge.

And that certainly is very, very important.

Might save your life......

[yardrunner]

have dealt with various pharmacists in Thailand, some have been good but some have put my life in danger, i take warfarin and always ask pharmacists if their will be any reaction with medication that they recommend, having been told that there would be no problem with a recommended medication i ended up in hospital as the medication should not be taken with blood thinners so now always double check any recommended medication on the net 

[wgdanson]

8 minutes ago, yardrunner said:

have dealt with various pharmacists in Thailand, some have been good but some have put my life in danger, i take warfarin and always ask pharmacists if their will be any reaction with medication that they recommend, having been told that there would be no problem with a recommended medication i ended up in hospital as the medication should not be taken with blood thinners so now always double check any recommended medication on the net 

Before taking ANY medication, a quick Google can tell you all the side effects and contradictions, dosages etc etc.

[atyclb]

4 hours ago, ReMarKable said:

Seems crazy.  What kind of diploma do these non-pharmacists have to have: BS, BA. B Ed to provide prescription medication at 7-11?  Do they have to read a pharmacy primer at least?

 

 

in my experience would not make much of a difference as a high % of so called pharmacists at independant pharmacies are sub competent and some outright dangerous.

 

in hospital pharmacists i have found to be competent 

[fondue zoo]

3 hours ago, wgdanson said:

Before taking ANY medication, a quick Google can tell you all the side effects and contradictions, dosages etc etc.

This is true, although having the doctor at a well known private hospital do that in front of us was a tad disconcerting hehe 

At least turn the laptop around and make it look like you know instead of typing into Google "is this bad effects"  ????

[Orton Rd]

22 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

 

in my experience would not make much of a difference as a high % of so called pharmacists at independant pharmacies are sub competent and some outright dangerous.

 

in hospital pharmacists i have found to be competent 

When you can find one actually on duty and the shutters not down. Then they are likely to irresponsibly dish out anti biotics for anything.

[wgdanson]

2 hours ago, fondue zoo said:

This is true, although having the doctor at a well known private hospital do that in front of us was a tad disconcerting hehe 

At least turn the laptop around and make it look like you know instead of typing into Google "is this bad effects"  ????

The 'bad effects'are usually listed on the paper inside the tablet box as well, and in English. 

[300sd]

13 hours ago, webfact said:

According to Jaranwit, the bill – if approved – would allow people without adequate knowledge to prescribe drugs and thus put the public at risk.

 

Well I have news for you Jaranwit, your so called "pharmacists" in this country already put the public at risk. They prescribe many unnecessary drugs every time someone is in need. Whether at a pharmacy or hospital. It's sick. These drugs will ruin the health of your people. They prescribe antibiotics etc. when there is no way of telling what is needed. Not only mild antibiotics but the strongest ones that should be used as a last resort. I'm speaking of a first visit and a 3 hour problem. Fortunately for your "pharmacists" the Thai people trust them, even think they are like doctors, and do not have the education to google and understand what they are getting. This whole system is a sham.

[atyclb]

8 hours ago, 300sd said:

Well I have news for you Jaranwit, your so called "pharmacists" in this country already put the public at risk. They prescribe many unnecessary drugs every time someone is in need. Whether at a pharmacy or hospital. It's sick. These drugs will ruin the health of your people. They prescribe antibiotics etc. when there is no way of telling what is needed. Not only mild antibiotics but the strongest ones that should be used as a last resort. I'm speaking of a first visit and a 3 hour problem. Fortunately for your "pharmacists" the Thai people trust them, even think they are like doctors, and do not have the education to google and understand what they are getting. This whole system is a sham.

 

i know asthmatics that have gone to pharmacies short of breath and requesting tablets were given theophylline.  thing is  theophylline takes several days to build a blood level before it helps shortness of breath. there are several tablets that are rescue medicines and help an asthmatic in minutes not days. 

 

asking for anesthetic eye drops was given antibiotic eye drops.

 

ps; thai spoken