20/05/2025

TUESDAY | MAY 20, 2025

10

LETTERS letters@thesundaily.com

Africa’s lost white tribe

Dispensing rights should remain with doctors I N our country, doctors are legally empowered to dispense medicines under the Poisons Act 1952, unlike in Australia, where dispensing and prescribing are strictly separated.

Ű BY ERIC S. MARGOLIS

city – moves that were often seen as a strategy to secure future Democratic voters. The Biden administration tried the same strategy to secure black votes for the Democrats. Vast welfare schemes were set up to cater to black and coloured voters. Many of these schemes are now being dismantled by the Trump hit squad. Meanwhile, the Trump White House is busy trying to import more Hindu Indians to replace Muslims, who are increasingly unwelcome these days in Maga US. I sympathise with the plight of white South African farmers. I spent much time while in South Africa with white farmers, known as Boers. They were much like the homesteaders of the American West: tough, rough and ready, God-fearing and straight shooters. Many Boer families had been in South Africa’s Natal Province and Orange Free State since the 1600’s, much longer than black Zulu or Xhosa tribes. They are the real South Africans. I called them and white Rhodesians ”the lost white tribes of Africa”. America would benefit from offering them new homes. But they deserve to keep their homes in South Africa and Rhodesia (today Zimbabwe). I recall visiting isolated Boer farmers in Transvaal, with the South African army mixed race units. We visited farmhouses that had held off attacks by African Congress guerillas. Some were burned and their white occupants murdered. Whites had begun to flee South Africa. So, Trump is right to offer them asylum. But what about Palestinians? Eric S. Margolis is a syndicated columnist. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com

“WHITE farmers are being brutally killed in South Africa”, warned US President Donald Trump recently amid all the uproar and craziness over tariffs, world trade and kickoff of a campaign to force Big Pharma to lower its prices to consumers. Why would Trump target South Africa? Firstly, because South Africa dared accuse Israel’s far right government of genocide and war crimes in its savage repression of Gaza’s Palestinians. An estimated 55,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, have been killed by Israel in Gaza. Another estimated 2,500 Palestinians are believed to have died in the Israeli occupied West Bank and some 2,000 or more dead remain under the ruins of destroyed apartment buildings in Gaza. The Trump administration is close to Israel’s hard right-wing government. So far, Trump has followed and defended Israel’s repression and slaughter in Gaza. It is often hard to tell if the American dog is wagging the Israeli tail or vice versa. Trump’s government has repeatedly lashed out at South Africa for accusing Israel of genocide and war crimes. Trump and his Maga (Make America Great Again) backers are well known for their negative feelings about blacks in general and have made efforts to eradicate often deep black influence in US society. Bringing in whites from South Africa is a novel way of lessening America’s infatuation with all things black under the Joe Biden administration. As a native New Yorker, I clearly recall past efforts by Democratic administrations to increase immigration into the

Recently, pharmacists have been advocating for an amendment to this Act, seeking to restrict doctors to prescribing only while claiming exclusive rights to dispensing medication. However, implementing such a separation could lead to significant inconvenience and unnecessary complications for patients given that the number of clinics far exceeds that of pharmacies. This issue is even more pronounced in rural areas, where pharmacies are few and far between. In Australia, pharmacies – often referred to as “chemists” – are more commonly found than medical clinics in shopping malls, effectively making them convenient one-stop centres for patients. Additionally, their operating hours are generally much longer than those of clinics, with many staying open late into the night and some even providing 24-hour services. If such a dispensing-prescribing dichotomy were introduced in our country, it could place an unnecessary burden on sick patients. They would be forced to navigate traffic congestion, search for parking, locate a pharmacy, present their prescription and then wait again to receive their medications. The situation becomes even more distressing if the pharmacy is out of stock of the medicine needed, requiring the patient to search else where. In many cases, medications are urgently needed, and time is of the essence – delays could have serious consequences for the patient’s health. Doctors typically prescribe

Pharmacists and doctors should work in collaboration, complementing each other’s roles to serve the public in a more efficient, economical and convenient manner. – AMIRUL SYAFIQ/THESUN

medications that are readily available in their clinics. Pharmacists, however, argue that it would be more economical for patients to obtain their medicines from pharmacies – a claim that does not hold up under scrutiny. Contrary to popular belief, doctors do not profit from dispensing medications; their primary income comes from modest consultation fees. It is sad that clinic GPs’ consultation fees have not been adjusted for 33 years since they were capped at a rate of RM10 to RM35 by legislation in 1992. I know of several doctors who are so altruistic that they provide free treatment, including medications, to those in need. Another important point to consider is that not all brands of medicine are equally reputable or clinically equivalent. A pharmacist may not have the specific brand prescribed by the doctor and may unilaterally substitute it with a cheaper alternative. This substitution may not be acceptable to the prescribing doctor

and, in some cases, could pose risks to the patient’s safety. It is concerning that some pharmacists overstep their professional boundaries by acting as doctors. They must not dispense Scheduled A and B drugs without a valid prescription, nor should they repeat prescriptions without a doctor’s approval. These risks and potential errors can be significantly reduced if doctors are allowed to continue dispensing medications directly to their patients. Pharmacists and doctors should work in collaboration, complementing each other’s roles to serve the public in a more efficient, economical and convenient manner. It is in the best interest of patients that doctors continue their dual role of consultation and dispensing – at least until the challenges and drawbacks outlined above are fully and effectively addressed.

Dr A. Soorian