Hong Kong urged to tighten rules after resale of public hospital drug on HKTVmall
- Health authorities could work with community pharmacies to let public hospital patients refill prescriptions, one patients’ rights advocate says
![Patients wait to collect medicine at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Jordan. A pregnant woman has complained a laxative she purchased from HKTVmall carried a label with the name of a stranger and a public hospital. Photo: Jelly Tse](https://cdn.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/1020x680/public/d8/images/canvas/2024/08/14/cf7b2423-3434-407e-851b-66e959eb1d29_5dcc0fa4.jpg?itok=YN5GCvS4&v=1723646124)
Hong Kong authorities should review the drug distribution and regulatory system to outlaw the reselling of heavily subsidised medicine prescribed by public hospitals, according to experts.
The efforts should include limiting the amount of drugs dispensed by public hospitals and ensuring all medication sold on the market could have their sources traced and be subjected to robust quality control.
The calls were made on Wednesday after a pregnant woman complained that the laxative she bought on HKTVmall, an online shopping platform, carried a label with the name of a stranger and a public hospital.
Health authorities have reached out to the patient who allegedly resold the drug to a vendor and launched an investigation into whether it involved the illegal sale of unregistered pharmaceutical products.
The offence carries a maximum punishment of a HK$100,000 (US$12,840) fine and two years in jail.
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