THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is against the idea of Covid-19 self-test kits being sold in grocery stores.
 
MMA president Professor Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said these devices are medical devices that should be controlled and strictly regulated.
 
“If the self-test kits are sold in grocery stores, there may not be proper handling of the product. It will also be more difficult for the authorities to monitor and regulate.
 
“Those selling the self-test kits also need to be properly trained to guide consumers when more information on using the kits is required,” he said in a statement.
 
Subramaniam was referring to Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s announcement yesterday that the sale of Covid-19 self-test kits will be loosened so that consumers can purchase them from grocery stores instead of just pharmacies and healthcare facilities. 

“While the aim is to encourage the use of self-test kits to test for Covid-19, we should be mindful that the self-test kits go through stringent checks by the Medical Devices Authority before they are approved for use.
 
“Once they are available in the market, authorised sellers must ensure responsible sale of the self-test kits. For example, the self-test kits cannot be sold if the packaging has been tampered with or opened as this will contaminate the kits and therefore cannot be used,” he said.
 
Subramaniam added that the decision to sell the self-test kits in grocery stores would also lead to widespread commercialisation of self-test kits, along with other issues such as fake, pirated, contaminated or even recycled kits.
 
“We urge the Health Ministry to revert to its original policy of only allowing healthcare facilities and pharmacies to sell the self-test kits to ensure responsible sale of these medical devices,” he said.
 
Subramaniam said that there are more than 10,000 pharmacies and healthcare facilities nationwide that are already easily accessible to the community.
 
He also suggested that the government look into a pooled procurement of the self-test kits to maximise the reduction of pricing.
 
He added that the kits can also be given out for free to the B40 income groups or partly subsidised for all through a special programme. – September 5, 2021.