MMA president Dr R Thirunavukarasu said priority should be given to medicines for chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular conditions.

In a statement today, he also called for more transparent and proactive sharing of supply information with private clinics and hospitals to ensure continuity of patient care.

In addition, Thirunavukarasu urged Malaysia to accelerate the development of local medicine production capacity in a structured and continuous manner as a long-term step towards national health sovereignty.

The proposals were outlined in a statement expressing MMA’s support for the measures recently announced by the government amid the global energy crisis linked to the Middle East conflict.

Other measures included a special access pathway to ensure continued access to critical medicines and medical devices, centralised stock monitoring, diversification of import sources, and activation of emergency response plans.

The health ministry previously said that medicine supplies remained stable, with government facilities maintaining one to three months of stock, supported by buffer reserves held by private concessionaire companies supplying medicines through logistics agreements.

Thirunavukarasu said that while medicine supply was stable, the global situation remained uncertain.

“MMA will continue to collaborate with the health ministry, the National Economic Action Council, and all stakeholders to ensure that Malaysians continue to have uninterrupted access to necessary treatment and medicine,” he said.