Number of Patients Not Collecting Medication at Restructured Hospitals

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Health in 2013, how many patients who are prescribed drugs at restructured hospitals do not collect their medication at all or do not collect the full course of their prescriptions.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: MOH does not routinely collect data on the situation of non-collection of medicines. However, feedback from the public hospitals indicates that most patients do collect their medicines as prescribed by their doctors.

For the few patients who do not, the most common reason cited is that they already have sufficient medicines. Other reasons cited include patients wanting to collect medicines from other sources or at other times, patients not aware that there were medicines to collect or forgetting to collect them. Patients who have financial difficulties will be referred to medical social workers for assessment and provided with financial assistance where necessary.

Our public hospitals will continue to improve in communicating and reminding patients to collect their medicines.