I would like to touch on a topic which for years now is prevalent in the Malaysian government hospitals, much talked about but yet its goes on unabated. Yes, I am talking about the dispensing of medicines to the patients.

It would seem that the pharmacies of the government hospitals are in an endless pursuit of dispensing medicines to the patients as though there is no tomorrow.

Each patient is given a batch of three month's supply of medicines regardless whether they like it or not.

The pharmacist dispensing the medicine is in total disregard of what actually happens to the medicines - whether the patient actually consumes the medications or just keep on storing it.

The pharmacist is so insistent on dispensing the medications in such a meticulous manner that now there is a plan to mail the medications directly to the patient's home via a courier service if the patient do not make it to the hospital for their medication at the designated time.

What's going on? Isn't the medicine a precious commodity? Why dispense it like water? Don't tell me the pharmacist dispensing the medicines at the government hospitals are just following orders. The doctors prescribe and the pharmacists dispense. Is that it?

Let's take a moment to ponder the exact state of affairs at the local GPs as well at the private pharmacists. Do they dispense medicine like water? On the contrary. Each medicine is treated like gold. Each single tablet or capsule or the elixir is carefully counted and there is no waste nor is there any pilfer.

They do not for any particular reason go on a dispensing spree and dish out more than a month's supply of medicine. Rather, they would like to see the patient back in one month's time to assess the progress of that patient on that medication. Isn't that what good practice is all about?

Therein lies the remedy to this chronic mismanagement of the pharmaceutical medicines in the government hospital's dispensary.

Treat every single medicine dispensed just like gold. Dispense the medicine appropriately, no need to overdose the medications. See the patient back in one month's time if the need arises.

Whatever the case, only dispense the medicine for one month's duration. Let the patient make the arduous journey to the hospital for the medications each month.

By doing so, he will recognise the effort he had put in for the free medications and will justify the effort by consuming it responsibly.

Of course, I understand that the government hospitals are overworked and understaffed. But that doesn't justify dumping the medicines in one big heap upon the patients and caring much less about it.