Pharmacists and Thai govt thrash out new bill on medicines

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Pharmacists and govt thrash out new bill on medicines
Poungchompoo Prasert
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- A NEW VERSION of the drugs bill must be based on protecting and helping users - while keeping their safe access to medicine a priority, top drug officials and experts decided yesterday.

Yesterday's meeting was the first between Food and Drug Administration (FDA) secretary-general Dr Boonchai Somboonsuk and 25 protesting pharmacist representatives.

Pharmacy Council of Thailand president Kitti Pitaknitinan said seven major points still needed further discussion and adjustment. They would be examined article by article to meet the pharmacists' seven point demands, plus in relation to herbal pharmacies.

There was concern that the wording might cause a misunderstanding that growers of herb plants would also be affected.

Kitti said the two parties should be able to talk and come up with suggestions for the draft bill amendment within the given two weeks.

FDA expert Vinit Usavakidviree said that, after getting mutual agreement with the pharmacists' network, the FDA would submit the new draft bill and amendments suggested by the pharmacists to get opinion from other related professions. Then they would submit the information to the Public Health Minister to confirm to the Council of State within the extended 30-day deadline, he said.

The FDA has categorised medicine into three types - prescription-only medicines dispensed by doctors, dentists, veterinarians, Thai traditional and Thai modified doctors; non-prescription drugs dispensed by professionals such as doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, physiotherapists, Thai-traditional and Thai-modified practitioners; and household medicines.

Vinit said that the new categorises may not be clear yet, but stemmed from an intention to adjust drug types to meet international standards as Thailand heads towards being part of the Asean Economic Community.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Pharmacists-and-govt-thrash-out-new-bill-on-medici-30245401.html


-- The Nation 2014-10-14

[noitom]

Pharmacists in Thailand should be prohibited from dispensing loose capsules and tabs on the countertop metal counting stands that are crusted with bacteria, dirty hands, and people sneezing and coughing all day while they sit on the counter. You can occasionally see a cat walk over one of them and it's dubious that most pharmacies ever clean them with an alcohol paper towel. Then their is the medication spatula and counting instrument that sits on the same filthy counters that are never sanitized. If the sickness you are seeking medication for in the Thai pharmacy doesn't kill you, you can bet that the bacteria in the pharmacy will.

[retarius]

Pharmacists in Thailand should be prohibited from dispensing loose capsules and tabs on the countertop metal counting stands that are crusted with bacteria, dirty hands, and people sneezing and coughing all day while they sit on the counter. You can occasionally see a cat walk over one of them and it's dubious that most pharmacies ever clean them with an alcohol paper towel. Then their is the medication spatula and counting instrument that sits on the same filthy counters that are never sanitized. If the sickness you are seeking medication for in the Thai pharmacy doesn't kill you, you can bet that the bacteria in the pharmacy will.

Don't be daft. I'm sure there must be millions of Thais killed each year by bacteria picked up in pharmacies. Get a sense of proportion.

[jaltsc]

"Don't be daft. I'm sure there must be millions of Thais killed each year by bacteria picked up in pharmacies. Get a sense of proportion."

I've seen both ends of the spectrum. I've seen "pharmacies" that resemble a noodle stand more than they do a medical facility. However, I use a pharmacist who seems to be more adept at prescribing the proper pharmaceuticals than the physician who examined me. Now, I skip the physician and discuss my symptoms with her. She will not hesitate to tell me when I don't need an antibiotic (How rare is that in Thailand?) and has referred me to a Chinese herbalist for certain ailments when she wanted me to avoid some of the side effects of commercial pharmaceuticals. She gets what most Thais don't...If she gives excellent, professional and fair service, she might not make as much profit off a single customer, but once word gets out about her abilities, she will increase her volume. Although I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes every time I go there, I get what I need to help me.

Unfortunately, all pharmacists aren't held up to her standards and most Thais living in rural areas do not know how to discern the abilities of their healthcare providers. I have seen toddlers being given liquid antibiotics every time they cough. Obviously, someone has dispensed that large amount of medication to her.

So, Thailand has a long way to go in "protecting and helping users - while keeping their safe access to medicine a priority".

[Pib]

Pharmacists in Thailand should be prohibited from dispensing loose capsules and tabs on the countertop metal counting stands that are crusted with bacteria, dirty hands, and people sneezing and coughing all day while they sit on the counter. You can occasionally see a cat walk over one of them and it's dubious that most pharmacies ever clean them with an alcohol paper towel. Then their is the medication spatula and counting instrument that sits on the same filthy counters that are never sanitized. If the sickness you are seeking medication for in the Thai pharmacy doesn't kill you, you can bet that the bacteria in the pharmacy will.

Gosh, I'll never touch any countertop again...not even in any store, fast food place, just no where. And lord knows where those vegetables have been I buy in the market...how many people have stood over and touched those vegetables. Now, where is my bubble suit.

And I'm immediately stopping the practice of me and family going to Thai pharmacies to get effective and low cost medications--I don't want to die. But it's going to be hard to convince my 90 year old mother-in-law who has been getting her meds at Thai pharmacies longer than I've been alive.

[NongKhaiKid]

"Don't be daft. I'm sure there must be millions of Thais killed each year by bacteria picked up in pharmacies. Get a sense of proportion."

I've seen both ends of the spectrum. I've seen "pharmacies" that resemble a noodle stand more than they do a medical facility. However, I use a pharmacist who seems to be more adept at prescribing the proper pharmaceuticals than the physician who examined me. Now, I skip the physician and discuss my symptoms with her. She will not hesitate to tell me when I don't need an antibiotic (How rare is that in Thailand?) and has referred me to a Chinese herbalist for certain ailments when she wanted me to avoid some of the side effects of commercial pharmaceuticals. She gets what most Thais don't...If she gives excellent, professional and fair service, she might not make as much profit off a single customer, but once word gets out about her abilities, she will increase her volume. Although I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes every time I go there, I get what I need to help me.

Unfortunately, all pharmacists aren't held up to her standards and most Thais living in rural areas do not know how to discern the abilities of their healthcare providers. I have seen toddlers being given liquid antibiotics every time they cough. Obviously, someone has dispensed that large amount of medication to her.

So, Thailand has a long way to go in "protecting and helping users - while keeping their safe access to medicine a priority".

What would concern me is the amount of pharmacies who simply dispense on request especially very strong meds without any check on suitability and with someone buying for others, worse when given to children.

Knowing the name of a strong drug is far from knowing its effects.