We refer to a recent press report quoting Deputy Health Minister Dr Abdul Latiff's as stating that consumers should boycott food supplements if their prices continue to escalate. He went on to say that if the supplements prove beneficial to health, consumers should consider them as long-term investments and not additional living costs.

We call on the Ministry of Health to do more to help the public cope with the escalating costs of, not only food supplements, but also critical medicines.

Currently, manufacturers and distributors of health supplements and essential drugs are free to set whatever price they wish. These prices can vary from one distributor to the next, as well as from one area to the next throughout the country.

The Ministry of Health should step in and enforce control over the prices of drugs. Other critical goods on the market are subject to government price control, so why not drugs?

Drugs are essential and, in many instances, even life saving products. Stringent price control should be imposed, similar to what has been done for a number of the other essential goods.

The writer is president of Consumers Association of Penang.