Clinic assistants need minimum SPM qualifications

A specific law need to be drafted to ensure all private clinics hire assistants who have at least  SPM, certificates in health fields or related skills.

Senior Director of Pharmaceutical Services, Ministry of Health Datuk Eisah A. Rahman said that there are many clinic owners hiring assistants with at least SPM qualification.

"They have no experience and skills. Thus we worry if there will be any mistakes done including assigning the wrong medications to patients."

"Even though clinic doctorsprovide the medicine transcriptions to the assistants, there are some premises whose doctordo not monitor the medicine that is given to the patient by the assistants," said Eisah after officiating the International Conference on Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences 2016.

During the press conference, Eisah mentioned that Malaysia needs at least 18,000 pharmacists by 2020 in order to ensure the best service is given to the people.

Currently our nation only have 13,500 pharmacistswhich is equivalent to one pharmacist to 2,500 patients.

"In order to become a developed country, the estimated ratio should be one pharmacistto 2,000 patients," she said.