Parkinson’s disease is one of the worse kind of nerve-debilitating diseases to affect humans. The disease is said to occur due to lack or depletion of nerve cells in the substantia nigra resulting in the reduction of the neurotransmitter hormone dopamine to disrupt normal basal ganglia activities. Experts say Parkinson’s disease affects everyone differently and treatments are adjusted according to the patient’s needs.

Parkinson’s patients experience symptoms of among others resting tremors, rigidity, shuffling gait, postural gait and bradykinesia which make living extremely painful and miserable to some patients.

There are about 15,000 Parkinson’s patients (according to the Internet) in the country and one of my friends who is a retired civil servant and in his late 60s happens to one of the unlucky ones to be inflicted with this nerve-wrecking disease. My friend has been receiving his treatment from the government specialist for the last five years.

He had managed to have reasonable control of his Parkinson’s symptoms and lead a normal life with the use of a specially-prescribed imported drug sponsored by the Health Ministry.

Of the 15,000 so Parkinson’s patients in the country, not all of them need this imported drug treatment. I understand only a few who have an extreme form of Parkinson’s disorder are treated with this drug.

Very recently the Health Ministry suddenly decided to drop a bombshell on these poor Parkinson’s patients, who are now told to purchase the drugs on their own from a different supplier and to make a claim from the relevant authorities in the case of civil servants.

According to my friend, it will cost him about RM5,000 per month and he needs to purchase three months’ supply each time, which will amount to about RM15,000. However, he cannot afford to fork out this much of cash at his advanced age.

The same applies to many other poor Parkinson’s patients. Many of them are finding it difficult to raise the money and are being subjected to various degrees of physical, emotional and mental stress going through the new process.

On behalf of the affected Parkinson’s patients, I wish to appeal to the government, in particular to the health minister, to look into the plight of these unfortunate patients. Pleases revert to the original dispensing method of these specially imported Parkinson’s drugs where they don’t have to pay first for the drugs.

It is understandable in view of the country’s poor economic performance that there is a need for government agencies to be prudent in managing their resources. However, we have to be mindful when it comes to patients suffering from life-threatening debilitating diseases. Rash and harsh decisions that disrupt the treatment regime and subjecting poor patients to unnecessary stress and difficulties do not reflect well on the ministry.

In the name of prudence it appears that the Health Ministry is on a mission to cut down spending on many essential services and treatment and diagnosis to the public. Why should the public be subjected to all these suffering and denial of essential public health services despite the extra Goods and Services Tax (GST) revenue?

It is not fair and a sin to deprive the general public of essential health services and treatment when billions of public funds have been mismanaged or siphoned off through dubious economic activities. Stop all these wastage and leakages and postpone all unnecessary mega infrastructure projects so that the money can be channeled to provide essential health services.