PETALING JAYA: The risk of dispensing wrong medication at hospitals and clinics will be minimised following a move by the Health Ministry to buy medicines in patient-sized packs instead of in bulk.

National Pharmaceutical Control Bureau director Selvaraja Seerangam said most government and private clinics and hospitals liked to buy medication in bulk to save costs. They would then repackage the medicines into smaller quantities for dispensing.



"Repacked medication is also exposed to pollution and bacteria which may decrease their effectiveness and quality," he said when presenting a working paper titled "The Development of Regulatory Initiatives of Malaysia" on Monday.

Seerangam said with the enforcement of the patient-size packs, the risk of dispensing the wrong medication could be avoided. The move is expected to be enforced from next month. -- Bernama