Making meds ‘transparent’

Listen here now: Anwar delivering the closing adress at KMF 2023 in Kuala Lumpur. — SHAARI CHEMAT/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Ensuring transparency in the sale of medicines with the display of price tags will be a priority of the government, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.The Prime Minister said medicine prices must be made more transparent so people will know what they can afford.

In a statement issued after the National Action Council on Cost of Living (Naccol) Committee meeting yesterday, Anwar said the government is aware of the importance for the public to have access to competitively priced medicines.

“The meeting agreed that the Health Ministry must further refine the matter before it can be finalised,” he added.

The meeting also further discussed other measures to alleviate the burden of cost of living faced by the public.

Anwar said the government is committed to continuing the Payung Rahmah initiative and Madani Agro Sales even though the inflation rate has dropped to 2%, the lowest in almost two years.

“The initiatives will be continued with the cooperation of the state governments to benefit the people as part of efforts by the unity government to deal with the cost of living,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the meeting also addressed the possibility of a sugar supply disruption if no immediate action is taken to address the rising global price of raw sugar.

The matter, he added, would be raised at the Cabinet meeting soon.

The meeting also discussed the price control for standard chicken and eggs implemented since February last year.

“It’s important for us to finalise the direction of the pricing of eggs and chicken to ensure the continuity of the supply chain,” he said.

To ensure an efficient distribution of rice to rural areas, Anwar said the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority and Farmers’ Organisation Authority had been instructed to be more proactive in distributing locally produced white rice.

The move, he said, is to make it easier for the people to get rice following the intervention measures announced by the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry on Monday.

Anwar also touched on the transaction fee for using the DuitNow quick-response (QR) code, which will be waived for small and medium enterprises.

“Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) will allocate resources to help finance the costs incurred by payment service providers, especially non-bank providers that continue to offer full exemptions to micro and small businesses.

“Paynet will also ensure SMEs are exempted from the extra charge,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anwar said clarity of policies is essential to generate confidence in foreign and domestic investors at the closing of the Khazanah Megatrends Forum (KMF) 2023 yesterday.

Through clear policies, such as the Madani Economy, the National Energy Transition Roadmap, the New Industrial Master Plan 2030 and even the 12th Malaysia Plan Mid-Term Review, he said the government has moved away from the traditional review of policies.