Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ18: Safe use of drugs
Following is a question by the Hon Andrew Cheng and a written reply by the
Secretary for Health, Welfare and Food, Dr York Chow, in the Legislative Council
today (December 14):
Question:
According to a household health survey jointly conducted by the Department of
Health and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong, around 40% of
people will buy drugs at pharmacies for self-treatment when they feel unwell. In
this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the existing channels through which the public can obtain information
about diseases and drugs, as well as the manpower and financial resources
deployed for providing such information in the last financial year;
(b) whether it will allow drug dealers to advertise drugs with proven clinical
efficacy, so that the public may know about the efficacy of the drugs;
(c) of the current number of retail pharmacies where drugs are dispensed by
registered pharmacists and its percentage in the total number of retail
pharmacies and drug stores; whether it has assessed the supply and demand
situation of registered pharmacists and formulated the relevant training
programmes accordingly; and
(d) whether it will strengthen public health education so that the public have a
basic understanding of diseases, thus refraining from buying drugs at pharmacies
for self-treatment when they have contracted highly infectious diseases, which
may cause delay in treatment and lead to the spread of the disease in the
community; if so, of the details of the relevant education work; if not, the
reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a)&(d) The Department of Health (DH) currently disseminates information about
healthy lifestyles and diseases through the media and various channels,
including public education on the mode of transmission, symptoms and prevention
of common communicable and non-communicable diseases and the need to seek
medical consultation when not feeling well, to the general public and people
with special needs. The channels for information dissemination include
television and radio announcements of public interests (APIs), press briefings,
press releases and media interviews, displaying posters and distributing
leaflets on public transport, border control points, public/private housing
estates and medical institutions and clinics; organising and participating in
large-scale exhibitions; assisting non-governmental organisations in arranging
relevant talks and exhibitions; and uploading relevant information onto the
websites of DH and the Centre for Health Protection, and the 24-hour Health
Education Hotline, etc.
Regarding drugs, DH provides basic information about various drugs and general
drug administration through its website, complemented by the production and
distribution of leaflets. Topics ranging from the safe use of drugs to the
proper use of antibiotics are covered.
To better prepare the public for the outbreak of influenza pandemic, DH has been
working with the Information Services Department (ISD) in recent months to step
up relevant health education and to provide the public with timely and
appropriate information for the prevention of seasonal and avian influenza,
including public education on the need to seek medical consultation as soon as
possible once influenza symptoms have developed.
DH and ISD will continue with their efforts in the promotion of public health
education and enhance their publicity work on specific diseases and use of drugs
which are of concern to the public. Preparatory work for publicity is also in
hand to produce television and radio APIs and publications to promote
information regarding prevention and treatment of diseases as well as healthy
lifestyle.
As far as public hospitals are concerned, the Hospital Authority (HA) provides
information about diseases and safe use of drugs directly to its patients mainly
through the doctors and nurses. HA and public hospitals from time to time
organise educational and publicity activities such as the Patients Referral
Scheme on Drug Compliance and Counselling Services, education talks on drugs,
production of promotional posters and leaflets, as well as launching a drug
education website.
DH's efforts on public health education are primarily coordinated and taken care
of by its Central Health Education Unit (CHEU). In the financial year 2004-05,
CHEU, with a total of 65 staff, spent around $18 million. In the same year, ISD
spent $1.15 million on public health education. HA is unable to single out the
manpower and financial resources allocated for public health education as the
work involves the participation of a large number of frontline healthcare
personnel.
(b) Drug advertisements are not prohibited under the existing legislation, but
such advertisements must not be in contravention with the provisions of the
Undesirable Medical Advertisements Ordinance, under which advertising of claims
for any medicine with regard to its administration of high-risk diseases or
bodily conditions is prohibited or restricted. The object of this Ordinance is
to safeguard public health by preventing the public from self-treatment of
high-risk diseases or bodily conditions, which may cause delay in seeking
medical consultation.
(c) Under the Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, all pharmacies are required to
have a registered pharmacist under their employment while medicine companies are
not subject to such a requirement. This is because medicine companies are not
allowed to sell drugs that require the supervision of a registered pharmacist,
including prescription drugs. At present, there are 463 pharmacies and 3,070
medicine companies in Hong Kong. The former account for 13% of the total number
of both pharmacies and medicine companies. Hong Kong currently has 1,583
registered pharmacies. The Administration will review the demand and supply of
pharmacists in Hong Kong from time to time, so that local universities can take
it into account in planning their relevant academic programmes. Each year about
30 local graduates and 30 overseas graduates are registered as pharmacists in
Hong Kong.
Ends/Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Issued at HKT 12:06
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