The Health Ministry is not experiencing an insulin shortage and can maintain supply until the end of the year, according to Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
Speaking to reporters on Monday (Aug 26), the Health Minister acknowledged that one of the ministry's providers had failed to meet contractual obligations, leading to concerns about a potential shortage.
However, Dzulkefly assured that patient care remains unaffected, with no disruptions in the prescription of human insulin.
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Speaking to reporters on Monday (Aug 26), the Health Minister acknowledged that one of the ministry's providers had failed to meet contractual obligations, leading to concerns about a potential shortage.
However, Dzulkefly assured that patient care remains unaffected, with no disruptions in the prescription of human insulin.
Read more at https://shorturl.at/t7XkK
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00Can you confirm if in Malaysia we have a shortage of insulin in government hospital and clinics?
00:08Short question.
00:09Yeah.
00:10You have come to know that, you know, because one of our, one of our two providers and Makar
00:20not able to meet to the contractual obligation, we would be facing a shortage.
00:28However, you know very well that we have other means or other alternatives, particularly
00:34on our insulin analogs and as well the inhibitors, plus as well the oral hypoglycemic drugs or
00:41agents that are already, that are also available.
00:44But you know very well why they are on human insulin or insulin.
00:48Therefore, you know, if they are no longer amenable to oral hypoglycemic, they're going
00:54to be on insulin, right?
00:56So what we want to make sure is despite the failure to fulfill the contractual obligation,
01:03we are now talking to them again to ensure that they will have, they will have to provide
01:09better.
01:10It is coming from the Johor, but besides that, also coming from India.
01:19So we are in communication with the Indian principal, Biocon forces.
01:26So we must supply it, whether it's coming locally or overseas.
01:31So be that as it may, apapun kita tidak mau shortage ini, kan menyejaskan patient care.
01:39If truly there are shortages, I have not heard for it.
01:42For now, they have been reducing by way of supplies, but no one, as far as I'm concerned,
01:49is already, is already not having apapun kita tidak been prescribed over human insulin.
01:55But the minute there will be one, there will be a, you know, we will be informed.
02:00But as I said again, you have the analogs, you have the inhibitors, you have the oral
02:04hypoglycemic to replace human insulin.
02:06Yeah, we are also again looking at alternative supplies, suppliers.
02:11Already we are in communication, but this is, it's unfortunate that this has happened,
02:17but we have already taken quite some time back into talking to suppliers.
02:22Yeah, but I wouldn't want to believe that we will be in a crisis situation of sorts,
02:29but because we have other alternatives and we are getting the other suppliers soonest.
02:35I, we are, okay, for, you know, you know very well that even if they are coming from overseas,
02:42then they've got to, you know, they've got to put in the doses and whatever.
02:46We will go on a fast track on this.
02:4860 days.
02:4960 days, as opposed to a few months, you know, originally, ataupun seladunya.
02:55So we will go on a fast track to expedite, you know, the NPRA's registration of their
03:02human insulin sources.
03:04This is other, other, other suppliers.
03:07Actually, the current supply of the human insulin, is it totally depleted or how long
03:12it can be?
03:13No, no, it's not, it's not that kind of scenario, the alarming scenario by some media.
03:17How long does it last based on the current?
03:19They are, in fact, they could last until what, end, end of the year.
03:25But meanwhile, we will continue to get other suppliers.
03:29So although, it's good lah, they raise this up, because we were also, you know, looking
03:34at it already, not that we are aloof, you know.
03:37Bukan kita tidak tahu, kita sentiasa memantau, cuman kita tidak dapat pembekal yang lain.
03:43So we are already negotiating.
03:45Now that we've gotten the commitment of others, we said, you put in your dose here, your
03:50permonat, we will expedite NPRA's registration.