Sufficiency of Over-the-counter Medicine Supplies in Singapore

7 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry periodically monitors the sufficiency of supply of over-the-counter medicines in Singapore; (b) if so, what is the periodic interval; (c) what is the amount of emergency stockpile of such medicines to respond quickly to acute nationwide shortages; and (d) whether the Ministry will consider introducing controls against the purchase of such medicines in large quantities for the purpose of sending them out of Singapore.

8 Ms He Ting Ru asked the Minister for Health whether an update can be given on the current state of our national stockpile of essential supplies of common over-the-counter medications.

The Senior Minister of State for Health (Dr Janil Puthucheary) (for the Minister for Health): Mr Speaker Sir, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 7 and 8 on today’s Order Paper together?

Mr Speaker: Please do.

Dr Janil Puthucheary: My response will also cover the matters raised by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim scheduled for a subsequent Sitting.

Sir, retailers keep close track of their supplies of over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and medical supplies and bring in more stock or alternative brands when there is a surge in demand.

At the same time, MOH also monitors the stock levels of commonly used medicines and medical supplies, especially when there are exceptional surges in demand or disruptions to supply. If necessary, MOH will work with the retailers to procure additional stocks to meet the demand, or issue relevant advisories. In addition, MOH maintains stockpiles of key medicines and medical supplies to be prioritised for the higher acuity patients in our public healthcare institutions.

In extreme situations, where there may be global shortages, MOH will take additional measures such as imposing sales limits to prevent hoarding and ensure that the medicines and medical supplies are fairly distributed.

Over the past year, our medical supplies, including oximeters and oxygenators, have been adequate to meet demand. Towards the year end of 2022, due to higher incidents of viral infections, there were temporary localised shortages of specific brands of medicines used to treat fever, coughs and cold. Retailers therefore persuaded customers to switch to alternate brands which were not in short supply. In the past couple of weeks, demand has moderated and stock levels have improved.

Mr Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I would like to ask two supplementary questions in relation to what the Senior Minister of State has answered. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the answers he gave earlier. First question is in regards to – the Senior Minister of State mentioned that the situation has improved, but given the endemic COVID-19 situation that we are in now, would he see possibilities of over-the-counter medicine running out of stock more frequently? And in relation to my Parliamentary Question, how often or periodically does MOH or its relevant agencies assess the periodic intervals to assess the stock?

Second question is, leaving it to market entities like the Senior Minister of State mentioned, to assess their stock, would it sometimes, at times, depending on the periodic intervals that we check, lead to market failures and lead to runs potentially if there is a global shortage which lead to anxiety in the population. How can we assess that in terms of, by either domestic production or diversification of our over-the-counter medicines that will be much in need, given the endemic COVID-19 and going forward as well?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: I thank the Member for his questions. The supplies were more than adequate and, certainly, our national stockpiles, which include what the vendors have, have remained within our policy thresholds all the way along. We have a fairly granular live view of the stocks held by the vendors, as well as in our national stockpile. So, we are fairly confident that we would be able to meet the demands in general.

I would put it to the Member that as COVID-19 becomes endemic and, as a population, we treat it and behave towards it like we do other illnesses, there is less chance of the panic buying or the anxiety-induced purchasing that we saw towards the end of last year. And so, we would be less likely to have similar problems with over-the-counter medication.

If I may also offer some medical advice. One way to deal with the anxiety, the routine use of mucolytics and expectorants is not necessary for most of us who have healthy lungs and baseline good health when dealing with an illness such as COVID-19. Secondly, there is no necessity to purchase branded medication. A variety of generic preparations will do the job just as well.

Mr Speaker: Ms He Ting Ru.

Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang): First, I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for the impromptu medical advice. I have a couple of supplementary questions. The first being, can the Senior Minister of State confirm whether there was a need to tap into the stockpile, given the situation last year. I think that it is just something that the public is probably interested in knowing. Did this also affect antigen rapid test (ART) kits and other essential medical supplies, not just over-the-counter (OTC) medications.

And finally, related to the point that the hon Member Saktiandi Supaat raised earlier, in terms of tracking the levels of stockpile of these relevant medications and supplies, does the Ministry use AI, or any other dynamic tracking tools to make sure that while actually maintaining the adequate levels of supply, that we also minimise usage, given that some of these have very finite shelf life?

Dr Janil Puthucheary: Sir, I thank the Member for the questions. The localised short-term supply issues were largely managed through the vendors' own stockpiles. And indeed, a variety of data and ICT tools are used to manage the supply, as well as the stockpiles at the vendor, as well as the national level.