Magway Teaching Hospital Accused of Threatening to Deny Treatment Unless Patients Buy Medicine from Designated Pharmacy

Threats at Magway Teaching Hospital: No treatment unless medicines are bought from the designated pharmacy

October 13

At the large teaching hospital near the University of Medicine (Magway) in Magway Town, the hospital superintendent and nurses are forcing patients to buy medicines and medical supplies only from their designated pharmacy at exorbitant prices, and there are threats that if the medicines are not bought from that pharmacy, they will not even administer injections or provide medical treatment, it is learned.

The "Thiri" pharmacy located within the teaching hospital compound was claimed to be a government pharmacy, and patients are being forced to buy medicines only from that pharmacy, it is learned.

"When they force us to buy medicines, the teachers write a prescription and even assign a staff member to escort us from behind and make us buy from that pharmacy only. Sometimes the teachers contact that pharmacy via Viber and have the patient attendants go pick up the medicines. Even for the same type of medicine as outside pharmacies, the prices at that pharmacy are exorbitantly high. Medicines that would cost just over 200,000 kyats at an outside pharmacy cost 300,000 to over 400,000 kyats if bought at that pharmacy. When buying medicines, they don't issue receipts either. If you return leftover medicines, they only refund half the money," a female patient attendant told MyoTaw.

Regarding this matter, when they went to speak with the hospital superintendent, he said, "The efficacy of outside medicines and the medicines here are not the same," and sent them away, according to a patient attendant who experienced this firsthand.

"Every doctor in Myanmar learned the acronym ESSC during their medical student days. It stands for Efficacy, Safety, Side effect and Cost. Only after considering all of these do we prioritize and select medicines. According to medical ethics, doctors are not even allowed to prescribe by brand name. We can only prescribe the desired type of medicine and dosage. We should check the expiration date and packaging, of course. We are not allowed to specifically direct patients to this or that pharmacy. It also does not comply with ethics," a doctor told MyoTaw.

Among those forcing and pressuring patients to buy only from the "Thiri" pharmacy located within the hospital compound are Nurse Daw Marlar from the Orthopedics Ward and Nurse Daw Myint Myint Hlaing from the Surgery Ward, it is learned.

"If they buy from outside pharmacies, they make them return the medicines and buy again from the pharmacy inside the hospital. If they don't buy, they threaten the patient attendants, saying they won't administer injections. Some even have their medicines thrown away," a patient attendant told MyoTaw.

At a time when they are already struggling financially due to health issues and having to come to the hospital, patient attendants say they don't know where to report the actions of the hospital superintendent and the nurses, and they are demanding that patients be allowed to freely purchase medicines on their own.

MyoTaw News Channel