I Gave This Explanation And Think It Would Help Pe..

I gave this explanation and think it would help people understand why veterinary care is expensive in Malaysia.

Veterinary care is very expensive in Malaysia due to the high price of veterinary drugs here. The price of veterinary drugs are expensive IN Malaysia because the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency does not allow generic veterinary medicines into the country. Neighbouring Thailand and Singapore are able to keep the cost of vet care low because they allow the use of generic drugs unlike here. The main reason behind this is that there isn’t even one veterinarian sitting on the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency. All are medical doctors and professionals. And the reason is that, unlike medical doctors who come under the Health Ministry, vets come under the Department of Veterinary Services. Now, the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and medical doctors come under the Health Ministry whilst the vet’s and DVS come under the Agriculture and Food Security Ministry. As vets come under a different ministry, they have no grounds to sit in the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency and advise on the need of generic veterinary drugs. Unless the government grants an exemption on this, the situation will remain the same. The price of spaying and neutering has also gone up because Malaysia’s drug related laws and policies limits the amount of ketamine that comes into the country. Ketamine is the drug used to sedate animals for surgery. It is very cheap and effective. What little Ketamine is allowed into the country goes towards the horse breeding and livestock industries. So vets have to use the expensive and branded version of anesthesia which results in the high cost. Some senior veterinary practices used to be able to get the generic drugs in but still charge 2 x more than the original price. That the veterinary charges are high and that this can only be countered if the red tape is handled and a vet, perhaps someone from the DVS, or the Dean of the Veterinary Faculty or the chairman of the Malaysian Veterinary Council or the president of the Malaysian Small Animal Veterinary Association is allowed to become a member of the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency to advise on veterinary drugs. Malaysia has genetic versions of almost all kind of drugs used in human health care and that is why the government is able to fully sponsor medications at public hospitals where Malaysians are only required to pay RM1. I was approached by a senior vet and asked if I could highlight this, perhaps I will try to.

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Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better

Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better is a canine welfare programme initiated by non-profit organisation Community Development and Integration Initiative (CDII).

MDDB's main activities revolve around rescuing dogs from the local council pounds as well as off the streets. Once they have been rescued, the dogs are vaccinated and neutered before being put up for adoption.

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