QEH2: Less medication due to dwindling stock
Published on: Wednesday, November 17, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
.jpg "QEH2: Less medication due to dwindling stock")
Many are unhappy about the lack of parking space at QEH2
THE administration of Queen Elizabeth Hospital 2 (QEH2) has reduced the amount of medication which outpatients receive to a two-week supply due to the dwindling stock at the medical institution.Outpatients previously received up to a month’s medication at any one time.
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A QEH2 spokesman reassured the public that this was only a temporary setback.
“We are in the process of getting new stock from our suppliers,” he said.
“We have resorted to controlling what we have, in the meantime, to cut down on any wastage.”
The pharmacy counter staff have been reminded to be diplomatic in their dealings with the public.
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This would ensure that there was enough medication to cater to all those seeking treatment at QEH2, according to him.
He did not rule out the possibility of some patients being given more than a fortnight’s allotment.
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“Such requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis, depending on the cost and availability of the items they receive.
“However, we are actively working to address the cut backs on items being dispensed and hope to be able to once again give out a one-month supply by the end of the year.”
The spokesman was responding to feedback from a senior citizen who felt that he was being made to go to the Hospital’s pharmacy counter more than he should to replenish his medication.
RITCHIE of Likas said he had been going to the Diabetes and Endocrine Clinic at QEH2 every few months.
He was taken aback by the smaller allotment of medication he received after his latest check-up earlier in November.
“Instead of one month’s supply, I only received enough for two weeks,” the 72-year old said.
“I was told to come back for more once I had run out.”
He felt that he would be putting himself at risk of catching Covid-19 if he went to the Hospital too often.
“As it stands, where the disease is concerned, I belong to the high-risk group.
“I think it would be reckless of me to turn up inside QEH2 when I know that I am especially vulnerable to being infected by the disease.”
Ritchie made the Hospital’s personnel aware of his misgivings when he was given his medication at the beginning of the month.
“The counter-staff at the Pharmacy window seemed to be unsympathetic to my plight.
“The individual merely stared at me blankly and did not respond to any of my concerns.”
Outpatients queuing to receive their medicines at the QEH2 pharmacy.
On top of his worry about Covid, he also bemoaned the hassle he encountered in parking at QEH2.
“Don’t talk about finding an empty bay on the grounds of the Hospital. The parking situation has become so bad that, even if I wanted to leave my car in an unmarked space, I would not be able to do so.”
Ritchie hoped the institution’s administration would consider providing him with sufficient stock of his medication so that he could avoid “these headaches”.
The patient provided Hotline with his particulars which were forwarded to the Hospital authorities.
The spokesman said, due to space constraints, QEH2 did not have a drive-through pharmacy like that offered at Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 and the Urban Transformation Centre near Wisma Muis.
“So, the patient cannot avail himself of this service,” he said.
“A check of the list of medication he receives also found that some of them come in the form of fluids which are temperature-sensitive.
“This prevents him making use of our ‘Ubat Melalui Pos (Medicine by Post)’ service.”
He explained that the service involved having the medication delivered via courier to a patient’s home.
“This is done on a cash-on-delivery basis with the recipient having to pay for the service.
“In the Ritchie’s case, the effectiveness of the cold-chain medication would be severely impacted if these items were to be exposed to heat.”
The spokesman said even the Health Department’s “Sistem Perdispesan Ubat-Ubatan Bersepadu (Holistic Medicine Dispensing System)” could not be used to help the patient.
QEH2 does not have a drive-through pharmacy like QEH1.
The System involved having the patient’s medication sent to the nearest government health clinic, according to him.
“He/ she will have to go to clinic’s Pharmacy Section to collect these items.
“Ritchie asked if his medication might be channelled to the Likas Health Clinic which is not among those offering this service.”
He said this System was only being implemented at health clinics in Telipok, Manggatal, Luyang, Penampang and Kinarut.
On the patient’s claims about the poor service at the QEH2 Pharmacy, the spokesman said an investigation had been made into this matter.
“The counter-staff here have been reminded to be diplomatic at all times. We have asked them to be more attentive and understanding in their dealings with the public.”
He said the Hospital’s administration would periodically keep an eye on the situation to ensure that its patients were being served as they should.
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