RETIREE Ooi Si Ong makes it a habit to return his unused medicines either to the Penang Hospital or government clinics whenever he has an excess.

The 68-year-old said he had been practising this ever since the ‘return medication programme’ was introduced by the Health Ministry in 2010.

“At times, there are some medicines that we do not finish. There is no point in wasting these medicines, especially those which are still in good condition and not expired.

“To prevent any wastage, I return my unused medicines whenever I visit the Penang Hospital once every few months or when I go for my follow-up at government clinics for my diabetes and high cholesterol treatment,” he said when contacted yesterday.

Ooi welcomed the programme and said the public should do their bit and return their unused medicines, as it could be put to good use by others.

The programme was first launched in 2010 when the Health Ministry found that a substantial amount of medicine dispensed by government hospitals went unused or had expired.

It was reported in 2011 that the ministry’s senior director of pharmaceutical services Datuk Eisah A. Rahman said that only medicine which had not expired and in good condition would be reused.

One reason behind the campaign was to help reduce the possibility of the prescription drugs being misused by others.

Most government hospitals and clinics have set up counters or containers where patients can return or deposit unused medicines.

Eisah had also said that the most common medication returned comprised those used to treat cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, anti-hypertensive agents and anti-cholesterol drugs.

Penang Hospital Visitors Board chairman Lim Thoon Deong in an interview at the Penang Hospital yesterday, said that the hospital collected an average of RM30,000 worth of unused medicines monthly.

“The medicines could be from patients who have been prescribed a different medication, or patients who had passed away or those who had gone to private hospitals and obtained a different set of medication.

“In the beginning of the campaign, a box was prepared at the Penang Hospital’s pharmacy for the purpose but since last year, the practice changed and now patients hand over their unused medicines to the pharmacist instead.

“We have had cases of rubbish being thrown into the box before. It is also as a precautionary measure to prevent unused medicine from being stolen or taken by other patients,” he said.

Lim said over at the government clinics however, the practice of placing a container at the pharmacy was still being observed.

Source:The Star