KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 17 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) has assured that the supply of critical medications, including insulin and vaccines, remains stable and sufficient to meet public needs for now.
MOH deputy director-general of Health (Pharmaceutical Services) Dr Azuana Ramli said the government is continuously monitoring the situation to ensure medication stocks nationwide remain stable.
“We now have a task force comprising ministry officials and industry representatives. We are discussing this issue and monitoring stock levels together,” she said during Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme titled ‘National Drug Supply Security’.
Dr Azuana explained that under this mechanism, industry partners provide stock level data, enabling the ministry to detect potential supply disruptions early.
“We can identify which critical stocks are at risk, such as those with only 60 to 90 days of supply left in the chain. Once we identify the problematic stocks, we can take action,” she added.
On insulin supply, Dr Azuana said treatment for diabetes patients remains unaffected due to the availability of various therapies and alternative medications.
“Even if there is a shortage of insulin, patients can continue treatment by switching to insulin analogues or oral medications,” she said.
“That is why the supply of medications remains stable and under control. There may be some supply chain disruptions, but we will take mitigation steps to ensure patients receive treatment by any means necessary,” she added.
Meanwhile, Medical Device Authority (MDA) chief executive officer Dr P Muralitharan said medical device supplies in Malaysia remain sufficient and under control for now, despite ongoing conflicts in West Asia.
However, he noted that the MDA is closely monitoring the situation, as several categories of devices have begun to experience slight shortages.
“Among the affected are in-vitro diagnostic (IVD) products, such as test kits and laboratory reagents. However, the shortages are not significant.
“This minor disruption also involves consumables such as gloves, face masks, implants, surgical devices and materials for haemodialysis treatment,” he said during Bernama TV’s ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme titled ‘SAP: Accelerating Supply to Ensure Safety’.
He added that the Special Access Pathway (SAP) enables suppliers to gain faster access to medical devices, thereby strengthening the local supply chain.
The SAP is an interim measure that allows the use of devices not yet fully registered, subject to strict quality and safety assessments.
“At the same time, this measure also aims to reduce the nation’s reliance on imported medical devices,” he said.
