Oseltamivir to be distributed to clinic on Monday

BANGKOK, 30 July 2009 (NNT) – The Public Health Ministry will distribute Oseltamivir to private medical clinics on Monday in order to be prescribed to the infected patients free of charge.

Public Health Minister Mr.Witthaya Kaewparadai said after the meeting that Oseltamivir would be urgently distributed to private medical clinics.

The participating clinics were required to comply with the ministry’s condition. The prescription would be written completely by the Epidemiology Office on behalf of private clinics on Sunday, and then Oseltamivir would be distributed on Monday under the control of the Disease Control Department.

The drug would be distributed to local provinces by Provincial Public Health Office, District Hospitals, while the distribution in Bangkok would be operated by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). The Minister emphasized that the clinics could not charge for the drugs because they were supplied by the Government.

He added that from this Friday to Sunday, Provincial Public Health Offices nationwide would organize meetings with doctors in order to have the same criteria of drug distribution.